The pole was raised at the Vigor Industrial shipyard in Ketchikan, Alaska. Photo by Leslie Isaacs / Facebook
Ketchikan, Alaska, is home to more totem poles than any other place in the world and the community added another to its collection on Saturday. Members of the Ketchikan Indian Community helped raise the new pole at a shipyard operated by Vigor Industrial. The 12-foot-tall totem was created by carver Jon Rowen from Klawock. “As we build an Alaskan workforce here in Ketchikan ... we want to essentially be open to diversity and through diversity,” director of shipyard development Doug Ward told The Juneau Empire. The pole features a raven, a strong man and an eagle. The base, which represents most important part, features a woman. Ketchikan boasts more than 80 totem poles throughout the city. Some of the older ones, dating to the 1800s, are kept in the Totem Heritage Center. Get the Story:
New totem pole rises in Ketchikan shipyard (KRBD 8/3)
Ketchikan shipyard to raise totem (The Juneau Empire 7/29)
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