Description
Tsimshian Totem
Date: 1930
Artist: Casper Mather
Materials:
Dimensions: 71 ¼ ‘’ x 23” wingspan . Bird on top 15” x 14”
Pole 9 ½” thick and 8” deep, with bird beak 15”d
Frog base 20” x 17 ½” Wide
Description: Important large totem pole that appears in early photographs of the carver in at least two occasions. One of his most important poles he ever carved. Great old painted details in old pigments. Wings and bird finial detach from body. This very large model of the famous Chief Johnson’s totem pole was carved by Casper Mather (1876 – 1972) in the 1930’s. Pictured in a few old photos with Casper showing his totems. Casper Mather was born in Metlakatla, British Columbia, in 1876. He was eleven years old in 1887, the Tsimshian people left their traditional territory behind and followed the Anglican lay minister, William Duncan, to Annette Island in Southeast Alaska to establish New Metlakatla. As an adult, Mather lived in the neighboring community of Ketchikan where he was frequently photographed and a bit of a local celebrity for his wooden creations and charming charisma. By the 1930s, Mather was a prolific artist producing large numbers of small model totem poles, masks, bookends, pipes, shaman figurines, and carved lamps. He also carved several larger totem poles, such as this one, and was often touted as the “last of the old totem carvers”. While Mather wasn’t the last, he certainly was one of just a few carvers in Alaska during this period that kept the tradition of Tsimshian carving alive. Mather continued carving up until his passing in 1972, at the age of 96, although his pieces from the 1930s and 1940s era are arguably the most well-executed. This large model pole by Casper Mather depicts the iconic Chief Johnson Totem Pole of Ketchikan, Alaska (see Figure 2). Mather was a long-time resident of Ketchikan and local monumental poles were a frequent source of inspiration for him. Chief Johnson’s Totem seems to have been a favorite motif of Mather’s and was a design he explored several times in larger scale. The Chief Johnson Totem, as the name suggests, was owned by the powerful Tongass Tlingit chief, George Johnson, and was raised in Ketchikan in 1901. As a member of the Raven moiety, Chief Johnson’s Totem depicts Raven and Fog Woman, and tells the story of how salmon came to return to the rivers and creeks of Southeast Alaska every year. The bottom of the pole is a composite image and depicts Raven, the trickster and Creator, with Fog Woman in his chest. She is holding a pair of salmon and her breasts are depicted as human faces. Above Raven and Fog Woman are Raven’s assistants (or slaves), and at the top of the blank shaft is Kadjuuk, a legendary bird that is similar to a golden eagle. Mather’s large model of Chief Johnson’s Totem is a loyal iteration of the original pole and contains several little details that make it a standout example of Mather’s carving. Apart from the frog base and a long shaft leading up to the Raven (Kadjuuk), this pole does not significantly deviate from the original, monumental pole. Of particular note are the finely sculpted faces on the chest of Fog Woman, the carefully crafted labret in Fog Woman’s lip (a sign of high status), Raven’s slaves carved in relief, and the highly sculptural and detailed rendering of the Kadjuuk finial on the top. The carved frog figure at the base is a nice added touch and creates a very stable base for this large totem
Provenance: Bank of California Corporate Collection
Casper Mather with examples of his work – 74.6.10.21 | Ketchikan Museums
