KaKaso'Las
Posted by: 
Hikenutty
N 49° 17.959 W 123° 07.260
10U E 491202 N 5460737
The KaKaso'Las pole was carved by Elien Neel, the first woman to become a Native Northwest Coast Carver. This pole, KaKaso'Las, was completed in 1955 for the Woodward's department store. It is currently on loan to Stanley park from the U of BC.
Waymark Code: WM2QYV
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 12/10/2007
Views: 59
The following text is from plaques at the totem pole display in Vancouver's Stanley Park:
Kwakwaka'Wakw carver Elien Neel and her uncle Mungo Martin were among the first artists to achieve wide recognition for their totem poles commissioned by museums, cities and art collectors. Neel was also the first woman to become a Northwest Coast carver. This pole was completed in 1955 for Woodward's department store.
In memory of Neel's pioneering role in reaching an international audience through her art, the University of British Columbia Museum of Anthropology has loaned this pole to Stanley Park.
Another plaque that give more general information about this NW Coastal art reads as follows:
The totem was the British Columbia Indians' "coat of arms". Totem poles are unique to the Northwest Coast of B.C. and lower Alaska. They were carved from Western red cedar and each carving tells of a real or mythical event. They were not idols, nor were they worshipped. Each carving on each pole has a meaning. The eagle represents the kingdom of the air, the whale, the lordship of the sea, the wolf, the genius of the land, and the frog, the transitional link between land and sea.