This carving is unusual for a number of reasons, but it is especially notable as a signed, early Coast Salish model pole directly associated with an international monument. The pole was carved in 1938 by Chief George Sam, a Coast Salish leader from the Semiahmoo First Nation, whose reserve is located between the town of White Rock, British Columbia, and the US–Canadian border, the location of the Peace Arch. Anyone who has traveled between Vancouver and Washington State has likely spent time at the Peace Arch crossing, a picturesque landmark and international park completed in 1921 in the heart of Semiahmoo territory.

The pole is rendered in a customary Coast Salish manner, with a Bird perched on top in a “wing-drying” pose over an inverted, torpedo-shaped Porpoise with its flukes folded over its back. The Porpoise is shown in high relief and carved out of a panel-like backdrop, a miniature version of a classic Coast Salish form. The pole is painted in whitish grey, green, blue, orange, black, and yellow. The Bird is depicted with an orange head and blue spots on its chest, its wings decorated with blue, orange, and white stripes. The pole is mounted on a beveled base that reads “Peace Arch” and is signed and dated on the back.

Christopher W. Smith