The Trickster Pole, @ Sitka Center
Posted by: 
MissJenn
N 45° 02.875 W 123° 59.563
10T E 421823 N 4988752
Artist Jay Haavik designed this totem in the Pacific Northwest style, and it is displayed at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology in Otis, Oregon (near Cascade Head). It depicts traditional trickster characters.
Waymark Code: WM4GY5
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 08/23/2008
Views: 38
Jay Haavik ( www.jayhaavik.com ) designed this totem for a wood-carving workshop at Sitka Center. It was carved by Jay's students over a two-year period (summers only). Since these students paid for the class and the materials, they technically owned the product created at the end of the classes. These students collectively donated the totem to the Sitka Center.
It shows, from the bottom up: a bowl, the coyote, Jay, raven and topped by a colorful slug. It is about 25 feet tall. It is not a full "round" of wood but rather it is hollowed out on the back side. (see picture)
The sign near the totem reads:
"The Trickster Pole
Crafty, intelligent, and devious creatures have always been part of Native American mythology. When it was discovered that the Western Red Cedar for this pole contained a "twist," the theme of the pole was set. Thus, a Raven sits atop a Coyote whose tail wraps around a large bowl, "the center of the universe." Joining these two "tricksters" is another one, a "Blue Jay." On top is a "slug," one of many constant companions during the carving of the pole.
— Jay Haavik"
One of the staff at the Sitka Center surmises that the Blue Jay character may represent Jay the artist. This totally believable conjecture is unconfirmed as of this writing (Aug 2008). Jay still teaches various wood-carving and tool-making classes at the Sitka Center. You can meet him, if you like. If you do see him, can you please ask him about the jay? Thanks!
About Sitka Center ( www.sitkacenter.org ):
Founded in 1970, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology fosters creative inquiry and education. The involvement, investigations, and creative work of artists and natural scientists help Sitka Center fulfill its mission to expand the relationships between art, nature and humanity through workshops, presentations and individual research projects. To accomplish this, Sitka Center maintains a facility appropriate to its needs in harmony with the inspirational coastal environment of Cascade Head.