Featured Slate Totem Pole

and mine doesnt have REP its either REH or REK and id like to know where she got hers so i can gather info about mine ive been trying to find info on it now for last couple of years opinions will vary whether tis fake or real id like to know more about hers and comapre info

 

As All-Fakes posted...........There's no easy way to ID the precise maker; resources for manufactured souvenir-type items are pretty scarce.

So, made in BC....found in BC.... gift shop item from circa 1980....reproduction of a Haida Argillite model totem pole..... likely copied from a Museum piece.

You're welcome to post photo's of yours here for comparison !

 

As mentioned opinions may vary whether its real or not Id liek to know where she got hers though Im not sure how to post pics up here

 

here are the letters im trying to figure out how to do this

 

here is another

 

there is another

totem by NBGIRL76 posted Jan 2, 2020 at 3:21 PM

 

welcome to the forum NBGIRL76 I'm on the west coast of Canada, mine was purchased in a thrift shop. I think the letters on yours are the same as mine, the last letter could very well be something other than 'P', it is on the edge so hard to say for sure (on mine).
the folks that responded to mine are very knowledgable on Northwest Coast Pieces, so I trust them when they say cast of some unknown material rather than carved argillite Seeing another one confirms this, in my mind.

 

I'm sorry, but the terms real and fake don't really apply; better terms would be reproduction versus original.
NBGirl's item is not an original, one-of-a-kind piece, but a cast reproduction. I base this on my years of experience, having seen many items either 100% identical, or simply showing the characteristic details that distinguish the two things; these details are pretty obvious to an experienced eye, but may not be so obvious to someone who is looking at a single item.
There are no resources to entirely determine the makers of cast items; among other things, the major producers such as BOMA and KIANA were entirely willing to do small runs to be sold under a variety of names; and there are generally no records as to what those names are or were.
One way to refer to such an item might be "cast totem similar to BOMA."

 

Yes; the presence of multiple copies is a clear sign that an item is not one-of-a-kind, pretty much by definition.

 

i wish i could figure out how to post the pics i got of this here im not sure how mine ended up all the way in new zealand

 

same thing...just scratched on differently.....
look under it...those same 3 lines are present on the base..

 

probably purchased as a souvenir of a trip to British Columbia or Canada

 

im not sure how when i try says file too big

 

no mine was not bought in BC im 100 percent sure

 

on a trip.......

 

post number 2 ...

almost without exception a Haida Argillite totem pole is made from 2 pieces...the pole & the base.
REP....means replica.....& can be made from a number of solid materials .
The original work in this design is likely in a Museum.

 

I've added Canada to my post as First Nations souvenir items are sold right across the country

 

Of course that's true......I can get em here.......but out in BC.....you can find them just about ....everywhere !!

 

Items travel even more than people do. And it is usually impossible to trace their journey.