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Totem Heritage Center

Coordinates: 55°20′33″N 131°38′03″W / 55.34262°N 131.63409°W / 55.34262; -131.63409
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Totem Heritage Center
Map
Established1976
Location601 Deermount Street, Ketchikan, Alaska
Coordinates55°20′33″N 131°38′03″W / 55.34262°N 131.63409°W / 55.34262; -131.63409
Collection size33 totem poles
DirectorAnita Maxwell
WebsiteTotem Heritage Center
Alaska Totems
Alaska Heritage Resources Survey
Totem Heritage Center is located in Alaska
Totem Heritage Center
LocationBetween Park Avenue and Deermount Avenue, Ketchikan, Alaska
Area1.68 acres (0.68 ha)
NRHP reference No.71001090[1]
AHRS No.KET-001
Added to NRHPJune 21, 1971

The Totem Heritage Center is a historical and cultural museum founded in 1976 and located in Ketchikan, Alaska. The center is operated by the city of Ketchikan.

The location of the Totem Heritage Center was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Alaska Totems on June 21, 1971.[1][2]

History

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The center was founded in 1976 to preserve these totems and act as a cultural center. Sixteen of the museum's thirty-three totem poles are on permanent display, although the rest of the collection is available for research purposes. The center also exhibits other Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian artifacts and art pieces, including work by world-famous Tlingit carver Nathan Jackson, and renowned Haida weaver Delores Churchill.

In November 1990, a Ravenstail Weaver's Guild was formed in Ketchikan through the Totem Heritage Center.[3][4] The guild served to strengthen the almost extinct craft of Ravenstail weaving and the community of makers of both Native and non-Natives in the United States and Canada.[3][4]

About

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The Heritage Center houses one of the world's largest collections of unrestored 19th century totem poles. The poles were recovered from uninhabited Tlingit settlements on Village Island and Tongass Island, south of Ketchikan, as well as from the Haida village of Old Kasaan.[5]

In addition to functioning as a museum, the Totem Heritage Center preserves and promotes the traditional arts and crafts of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples through a nationally recognized program of art classes and other activities. Classes are held throughout the year, and the museum is open to visitors year-round, with extended hours during the summer.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "NRHP nomination for Alaska Totems". National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-05-09. and accompanying photos
  3. ^ a b Meuli, Jonathan (2013-12-19). Shadow House: Interpretations of Northwest Coast Art. Routledge. p. 391. ISBN 978-1-134-43465-7.
  4. ^ a b Davis, Mary B. (2014-05-01). Native America in the Twentieth Century: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. p. 1771. ISBN 978-1-135-63861-0.
  5. ^ "Totem Heritage Center". Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  6. ^ "Totem Heritage Center, Hours, Rates, Etc". Retrieved 2012-06-28.
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