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Interpretation of the Totem Poles of Joe Hillaire

directed by Pauline R. Hillaire, fl. 1992; produced by Gregory Fields, fl. 2016 (Edwardsville, IL: WoRKS Group, 2013), 51 mins

Open Access

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The video, "Interpreting the Totem Poles of Joe Hillaire," is a digital complement to the published book, A Totem Pole History: The Work of Lummi Carver Joe Hillaire (University of Nebraska Press, 2013). The Lummi Reservation is the northernmost of the Coast Salish reservations, and it is the only U.S. Native community south of Alaska where totem pole carving is significant. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, there are few carving hous... The video, "Interpreting the Totem Poles of Joe Hillaire," is a digital complement to the published book, A Totem Pole History: The Work of Lummi Carver Joe Hillaire (University of Nebraska Press, 2013). The Lummi Reservation is the northernmost of the Coast Salish reservations, and it is the only U.S. Native community south of Alaska where totem pole carving is significant. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, there are few carving houses at Lummi. So Lummi totem pole carving truly was, and remains, a rare form of art. Pauline Hillaire’s father was one of three major carvers in the early twentieth century, along with Al Charles and Morrie Alexander, who perpetuated the art of totem carving in the Lummi Coast Salish style. The first of the totem poles that Pauline interprets is a story pole called Halibut Fisherman. The pole was likely carved by her brother Lewis Hillaire, with the assistance of their father. Pauline first explains the cultural practice of her tradition in regards to how to read a story pole: from the bottom up to the top on the front; then down the back of the pole, from the top to the bottom. The second pole discussed is Joe Hillaire’s best known carving, "The Land in the Sky." It was carved for the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle: Century 21. Pauline explains some of the most significant features of the pole and the story that it tells. Next, the Bellingham Centennial History Pole represents a history pole, as distinct from a story pole. Joe carved this pole in 1952 to commemorate the 1852 arrival in Bellingham of the settlers Henry Roeder and Russell Peabody, who founded a sawmill there, and initiated industry and an era of ongoing Indian-white interaction in the region. The Bellingham Centennial History Pole contains many symbols of Lummi culture and identity. Some whimsical elements are evident in the carving, along with the solemn events of history that the pole records. The pole was restored in 2007 and installed at the Whatcom County Courthouse. Joe Hillaire’s international efforts for intercultural reconciliation took place in connection with the aftermath of WWII. The Kobe-Seattle Sister-Cities Pole was presented to the people of Kobe, Japan, on behalf of the people of Seattle in 1961. Joe began carving the pole in Seattle's Pioneer Square, where residents and visitors could watch him carve, and learn of the Sister-Cities initiative. He traveled to Kobe for the installation, where he addressed school and community groups. Joe carved the Schelangen/Mobil Pole in 1954 for the General Petroleum Refinery in Ferndale, WA. The pole was commissioned to represent the relationship between the Lummi Tribe, industry, and the local community. This pole is also known as the Mobil Pole and the Ferndale Pole, but the original name given by the carver was the Schelangen pole. Schelangen refers to the Lummi way of life and all that must be preserved, protected, and taught. The Man in Transition Pole was initially carved for the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle and was later installed at the Northwest Indian College in Bellingham. The pole represents growing in maturity, whether by means of the spiritual discipline of the smokehouse way of life, or growing to be an adult with competence in a profession, as occurs when one conquers one’s lower self and ascends to mastery by completing one’s higher education. In the final segment of the video, Pauline explains that the word “tribe” was not used by the Coast Salish; rather the people identified themselves by house. Pauline closes with the Star Song: an important song in her family, then and now. The song accompanies a photomontage of historical images of her family. The video concludes with a fifteen-minute segment of Pauline telling the mythic story “Land in the Sky,” illustrated with imagery and photographs of her father’s masterwork: The Land the Sky Pole. Show more Show less

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Interpretation of the Totem Poles of Joe Hillaire

Interpretation of the Totem Poles of Joe Hillaire