The Whalers' Pole Item Number: Nb11.262 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Tall pole with carved and painted figures. Figures from top to bottom are: the harpooner, with a whale's dorsal fin in each hand; the second-ranked man in the whaling crew, who holds a harpoon; the shaman, who wears a frontlet and holds a rattle and a wand (and on his tongue is painted the head of a lightning serpent); Puk-ubs (whaler returned from drowing); and a grey whale, held up by Puk-ubs. The eyes and teeth on the shaman's face are in bronze.
Pole commissioned by MOA, 1980-1982. The log used for the carving was from a village called Oo-ees, on Nitinat Lake. It was donated by the Nitinat people for this project. The pole was installed on the Kenny Building in recognition of Dr. Douglas T. Kenny's contribution to the study of Canada's heritage as Dean of Arts (1970-1975) and UBC President (1975-1983).
The artist said the pole was meant to represent the whaling tradition of the Nuu-chah-nulth people of the west coast.