SHADOWS OF THE THUNDERBIRD

236. Black Resin Thunderbird with Wings

Striking model of Thunderbird with wings opening as if ready to fly. No makers mark, sticker on rear. Slight repair to one ear.4” high

235. Miniature Black Thunderbird Totem

Small black resin piece, no makers marks. Possibly Boma or Pearlite. 2” high See 148. For similarities.

234. Boma Resin Trinket Box

Red resin Trinket Box from Boma. Cast with sea monster motif on the lid and pod of whales circling the outer edge of the box.

The piece is marked 'Boma' in the usual fashion, as part of the casting and has an adhesive label on the base, but also includes a small glyph as part of the design. Artists logo perhaps? Glyph does not appear on most other Boma products and does not look like a first nations style. Glyph can be seen on N0.68 Mustard Bowl, which uses the same design.

233. Wooden Thunderbird by Kiana

7 " high carved wooden piece, signed Kiana. Compact and precisely carved, with traditional motifs. Age uncertain.

232. Boma Seal Shaped Grease Bowl

Large 7” long resin cast bowl with ceramic style liner. Made by Boma inTsimshian style.

Representing a seal with flippers and flat tail.

231. Boma Resin Feast Bowl with Bear

Large (6" diameter) Bowl by Boma. Cast in black resin, with sea green interior glaze.

uter design is a recumbent Bear with clawed forepaws. Above the nose is a vertical section representing a hat with three rings to show the owners high status.

Design is probably modelled after a traditional potlatch or food bowl.

230. Danny Joseph Carved Raven

Hand carved sculpture of 'Raven' by Danny Joseph.

Signed on the base, but with name obscured at some point. Name still visible beneath marker pen, after cleaning.

Danny Joseph of Kwakiutl tribe, also created item No. 205.

229. Contemporary Formline Design Wallets

Contemporary wallet with Skull and Crane motif, designed by James Johnson, great grandson of Tlingit Chief Jimmy Johnson, from whom he learned his craft.

See No. 7 for carving by Jimmy John.

Scarlet Salmon motif coin purse by Gitksan nation artist Jamie Sterritt, a member of the Kispiox clan from the Skeena River area.

228. Quaker Sgt Preston Mail Away Totem Set

A set of five clay composite poles, hand painted and varnished, given away in 1952 as a mail away premium with Quaker Puffed Wheat and Rice, in association with the popular tv series Sgt Preston of the Yukon.

Although not specifically mentioned in connection with the series, each of the poles are based on actual monuments in the area.

The original mailer includes the card insert and instruction leaflet, with a brief description of each pole.

THUNDERBIRD

Thunderbird sits atop a Beaver representing the Basket Bay Tlingit Clan and the marriage between them and the Kata clan, shown by the Bear on the lowest position.

THE FIGHT WITH
THE LAND OTTERS

This totem represents two legends, a fight between Raven and a Bullhead fish and the abduction of four boys by a tribe of Otters and the subsequent fight to rescue them.

BURIAL (MORTUARY) POLE

This type of pole contained the remnants of a high status persons burial. This one contained the bones and ashes of Chief Ske-Dans of Skidegate on the Queen Charlotte Islands. The rectangular header contains a mortuary box to hold the remains. The Moon is the chiefs personal emblem, the Mountain Goat his mothers and the Grizzly Bear at the base, his fathers tribe.

KILLER WHALE

This is the totem of the Tongas Tribe, showing Raven, Beaver, Boy, Sea Lion and Whale at the base.

SUN & RAVEN

This pole shows the exploits of Raven and includes the Sun motif, Children of the Sun, Fog Woman, Raven and Bullfrog.

The Sun & Raven pole is also featured in the Nabisco Rin Tin Tin premium set from 1958 - See post No.197 for further information.

SUN & RAVEN POLE - SAXMAN PARK B.C

227. Kinder Egg Totem Variant

Possibly from the same series as No. 64, this modular totem pole is made by Ferrero and included in Kinder Chocolate Surprise Eggs.

Six small sections are interchangeable, with the lizard only attachable at the top.

Addendum - model is missing a small bird figure which sits on the lizards tail.

226. Playmobil Single Piece Casting

Single section casting of early totem pole design. Eagle motif sits atop wild man or giant, clasping a large salmon, with the head of a whale at the base. See also No. 33 for later modular totems and a painted version completed by the author.

225. Resin Alaska Totem Pole

8" high, no makers marks. Thunderbird headed, with stylised creatures below. Beneath Thunderbird, the figures are almost cartoonish and the first seems to have a snake around the neck, leading to a man holding a fish, a bird and an owl like figure on the base.

224. Nabisco Rin Tin Tin Shredded Wheat Premium

Plastic / celluloid press out model of the Kotleen Memorial Totem, featuring Lt Rip Masters from 1958 TV show Rin Tin Tin.

223. Silver Spoons with Resin Models

Silver Souvenir spoons, marked 'Lovesick Lake, Canada' and 'Prince Rupert B.C'

No visible hallmarking or TM.

Metal spoons with black resin model of Beaver and Wolf heads.

See also No.19 Ornamental Spoons for further modelling

222. Swityk Tundra Raven Pair

Five inch ceramic totems, made by Swityk. Advertised as bookends, but probably just two separate items. One has cream coloured finish like similar Swityk designs (See 161, 160). Second version has brilliant white finish, possibly retouched.

Cast from resin with white painted finish, mass market tourist items.

Both show stylised Raven character bearing the salmon to human kind.

https://ztevetevans.wordpress.com/2018/04/04/haida-tales-raven-and-the-coming-of-the-salmon/