Totem Pole - UAF - Fairbanks, AK
Posted by: 
Megadrile
N 64° 51.540 W 147° 50.636
6W E 459994 N 7193007
Totem Pole located by the University of Alaska, Fairbanks famed Museum of the North.
Waymark Code: WM3FDM
Location: Alaska, United States
Date Posted: 03/29/2008
Views: 18
A Tlingit legend has been associated with this pole:
A long time ago there was a fierce cannibal giant that used to prey on the people. From time to time, he would come in, grab some of the people, carry them off, and eat them.
The people tried to kill him. They thrust spears into him. They shot arrows into him. He just kept coming back. They ripped open his chest where his heart was supposed to be so they could rip it out - there was no heart there.
They went to see a great shaman.
"What can we do?", they asked. "We stick spears in him... he does not die. We try to cut out his heart but we can't find it. What do we do?"
"The giant has his heart in his right heel", the wise shaman told them. "To kill him, you must trip him and cut it out." The people went back to the village and got ready.
The next time the giant came, one brave man ran up behind him and hit him on the right heel with a club, knocking him out. Then they all thrust their spears into him and cut his heart out of his right heel.
To make sure they were rid of him, they built a big fire and threw his body in it. The body burned up and there was nothing left but ashes. They took the ashes and threw them up into the air saying, "Bother us no more."
And the ashes turned into mosquitos.
Type of wood carving: Totem pole
Artist's Name: Amos Wallace
Approximate size/height: 48 feet
Other type: Not listed
Type of wood: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
All logs must be the result of an actual visit to the wooden carving.
"Visited" only remarks will not be accepted.