The Largest Collection of Standing Totem Poles Is in Ketchikan, Alaska

By JJ Foster -

Some 80 sculptures in Ketchikan, Alaska tell the ancestral stories of Indigenous clans. These represent the world’s largest collection of standing totems and they tell different stories. Indigenous peoples have been carving totem poles in the area for thousands of years, and those standing now are preserved and watched over by an organization dedicated to sharing Southeast Alaskan Native culture.

Standing Totem Poles Tell Stories

Chief Johnson’s totem pole
According to the mythology of the Tlingit people, long ago a Raven wanted to marry Fog Woman, who was the daughter of Chief Fog-Over-The-Salmon. After the chief granted his permission, the Fog Woman and Raven lived happily for the next two seasons. However, in the winter, a food shortage tested the couple with hunger. Raven struggled to find food, so Fog Woman wove a basket and filled it with water. When she washed her hands in the basket, Raven saw salmon swimming inside, and that was the first salmon ever created.

Still Visiting the Ketchikan Community

Totem poles
Fog Woman kept producing salmon this way, and for a time, she and Raven lived happily once again. Eventually, the two began to fight. One time, Raven got angry and he hit Fog Woman’s shoulder with dried salmon. Fog Woman would not stand the disrespect and left with Raven chasing after her. However, every time Raven tried to grab her, his hands would go through her, as if she was made of fog. Finally, she reached the water and all the salmon she had dried went with her. While Raven never saw Fog Woman again, salmon comes rushing back every year to feed the community of Ketchikan.

The Ancestral Traditions of the Tlingit

Today, the legend of Raven and Fog Woman is memorialized in one of the most prominent totem poles in Ketchikan, Alaska. It's a 55-foot-tall Chief Johnson pole. The current iteration is a replica built in 1989 by Tongass Tlingit carver Israel Shotridge. It sits outside the former home of Chief George Johnson, next to Ketchikan Creek, which is their ancestral fishing grounds. The original pole was carved by an unknown person and is currently held in storage at the Totem Heritage Center. It was raised in 1901 and stood until 1982. It was then removed and replaced for the replica.

Tlingit totem house

Chief Johnson’s totem pole is just one of more than 80 standing totem poles scattered around Ketchikan in southeastern Alaska. More are carved and erected every year as artists honor respected community members. Totem poles are part of a rich tradition in Ketchikan and an important part of Tlingit culture. They represent the ancestral traditions of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people, and Chief Johnson’s pole is made from one single western red cedar log.