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Grizzly Bear and the Boy Totem Pole

Categories: Native American Carvings and Sculptures, No Free Shipping, Other Carvings

This 5 feet high Red Cedar Totem Pole is called Grizzly Bear and the Boy and was carved by Alexander Clifton Ridley from the Tsimshian Nation. The Totem pole is 60 inches high, 19 inches wide and 16 inches deep. The pole in an interpretation of the "Hays Creek Story" . This following story was supplied by the artist:

"The old women had some dried salmon backbones which had to be soaked a long time before they could be eaten. So she soaked these in the creek which flowed past their little hut. While they were soaking these in the creek covered with stones, a huge grizzly bear came along and ate the salmon.

Tsak came along and saw the bear eating the last of their food and he was angered and began calling the bear many abusive names, saying the bear was a thief. The huge bear was very angry at the abusive names he was being called and in anger said to Tsak, “If you don’t stop calling me abusive names I’ll swallow you in one gulp”. “Go ahead swallow me” said Tsak. So the huge grizzly bear came upon Tsak and swallowed him whole without any effort. Tsak now in the beast’s stomach, began to worry how he would escape.

He had with him the little basket in which was the fire ball, which the people used to start their fires. They would pulverize rotten wood into a fine powder and take a live coal from the fire and make a ball with the pulverized wood around it. Then when they started a fire they would break the ball and then bring the live coal to a flame. Tsak took the fire ball, broke it and began to make a fire in the grizzly bear’s stomach. The bear, suffering great agony, ran about, then burst open and was dead.

Tsak having killed the bear, went to his grandmother who was bemoaning the fact that they now had no more food, and was lying in her sleeping place, very weak and ready to die. He showed her the bear he had killed and they feasted together." Please give us a call concerning shipping.

More about Alexander Clifton Ridley

More art and information on “The Bear” Symbol.

Price: $6,400.00

Note: All prices are in Canadian dollars. The exact exchange rate to your currency will be determined by your credit card provider or PayPal.