A large, multifigure model pole likely made by a Coast Salish artist from southern Vancouver Is-land or the adjacent mainland, ca. 1890-1910. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Coast Salish artists entering into the tourist market began creating multifigure model poles in stacked configurations resembling more northerly tribal styles, although their figures were often rendered in a quasi-naturalistic fashion that lacked the characteristic formline elements of northern Northwest Coast First Nations. There was a relatively narrow window in which model poles were created in this style, however, as Coast Salish artists meeting market demands increasingly incorporated northern design elements into their carvings throughout the first half of the 20th century. The hollowed-out back of this pole and presence of a hook for hanging likely indicate that this pole was created in the earlier range of the age estimate. The nine figures on this pole, from top, are: seabird, a pair of Dall’s porpoises, a seated human figure, an unknown anthropomorphic figure flanked by a pair of serpents, the head of an unidentified figure, and a black bear.

— Christopher W. Smith