Robert Ridley was born in the village of Masset on Haida Gwaii, British Columbia. A prolific maker of wood and argillite model poles, he also made model canoes, house models, and feast spoons. He was known to have completed at least two large-scale poles in his lifetime: one for Thunderbird Park in Victoria and the other for the Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver.

This pair of model poles represents the two matrilineal moieties, or primary clans, of the Haida Nation: Raven and Eagle. The pole on the left features, from the top: Raven, Human, and Bear. The pole on the right features Eagle, Hawk with Sun motif, and Bear. Both poles are carved in old-growth red cedar and painted in Ridley’s signature red, black, burgundy, and green, with the Eagle pole also incorporating white. They both have hollowed-out backs with low, monoxylous pedestals that are mounted to chamfered bases. In classic Ridley fashion, they are subtly tapered toward their tops and are surmounted by bird finials that are carved in the round. Perhaps most impressively, these poles have remained together as a set for the last century, as confirmed by the contemporaneous handwritten notes on each of their versos.

CWS