This Coast Salish model pole features, from the top: Eagle with wings spread, Humanoid Face or Mask, Frog (?), Anthropomorphic Frog (?), and partial Humanoid Face or Mask. Carved in red cedar, this pole is an interesting intermediate object between earlier Coast Salish model poles that followed customary styles and later, more Northern-influenced forms. Although this pole features discrete, stacked figures, which show Northern influence, the lack of ovoids and the striped painting of the wings connect this pole to other Coast Salish model poles from this era and region, including the Chief George Sam pole (lot 133). The Wsáneć attribution is based on the Sidney, BC inscription on the bottom of the base and the pole’s similarity to other Coast Salish model poles from Southern Vancouver Island and the adjacent mainland.

Christopher W. Smith