Featured Ant info on this Model Totem Pole ?

Here's a piece I picked up at a garage sale this weekend.It's 15 1/2" inches tall & has a price sticker on the base-'Harper Lodge At Denali-$44.50'.The lodge opened in 1987,and the base originally had a 'Made In
Canada' sticker (which i put somewhere !-it fell off).
The base seems to be oak,the pole something else.
The inscription on reverse of the pole says-'Mountain'...'Frog'...'Raven'...'Beaver'...'C' in a circle,at the bottom-'1601'. That's it-can't find any other signatures,etc.
All help as always much appreciated.

 

This is a model of the "Kicksetti" totem pole, with a list of the figures depicted; see Chief Shakes Historic Site, Kicksetti Pole - Wrangell AK - Living New Deal or Land of the Totem |
This was made by A.R.T Alaska Inc, in their line of so-called "Tlingit totems." The pole itself is a good-quality resin casting, with an oak base attached. Below is a copy of the label. You'll often see them listed as wood on ebay and elsewhere.

 

here it is

 

Thanks Fakes-What's really clever about this 'fake',or to be kind 'replica' is that the molded pole is mounted on wood.
Holy cow Batman-now that is diabolically clever-dang glad it was $3.99 !

 

Harper Lodge Opens in Denali Park
By FRANK RILEY
June 28, 1987 12 AM PT

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<I> RILEY IS TRAVEL COLUMNIST FOR LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE AND A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR TO THIS SECTION</I>
DENALI NATIONAL PARK, Alaska — If Harper Lodge’s logs could speak, what stories they would tell--of the conquest of McKinley’s Peak, and brave pioneers who climbed and fell.

The logs were silent, but there were eloquent voices to speak for them during the evening of May 29.

The evening was the formal grand opening for the first summer season of Harper Lodge at Denali National Park, but it was above all a tribute to the memory of Walter Harper. At the age of 21, Harper, the son of an Athabascan Indian mother and Irish father, became the first climber to reach the 20,320-foot summit of Mt. McKinley, highest peak in North America and possessor of a greater vertical relief than Mt. Everest.

Nice size tourist pole .... of reasonable quality...

if made in Canada.... it must have been made close by , but it has an Alaskan look to it.

here is the pole it's based on..... and with no siggy on yours...I'd say this was produced often as a gift shop mainstay..

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https://fdrlibrary.tumblr.com/post/179658012774/nativeamericanhistorymonth

 

ha....they even fool me sometimes.........

 

hey...u said made in Canada label....... .... that thru me off !!!!!

 

Yes, but really made in Alaska. See for one example A.R.T. Alaska - Tlingit Totems-1992- 15" Totem Pole | eBay
They do a good job, and the oak base on their totems is a nice touch.

 

Looks pretty convincingly like wood to me.

 

Fooled the heck outta me (and appealed to my cheaper devils !).

 

ya , the pics got me too...... not if I was holding it though....

 

Seems like there's a lot of resin totem poles on Ebay-the buyers frequently don't mention this (no surprise on the 'bay).
There's also a lot of 'goofy' totems-Tiki,ones w/ huge wings,Zuni ones,etc.

 

I think I remember that some of the A.R.T. totems were designed by Israel Shotridge, Tlingit, not sure about this one. But he's quite a well-known carver, has restored or carved replacements for a number of famous totem poles, after they deteriorated due to age, as well as some other full-size poles. This model of the Kicksetti totem is not actually a replica as such; it differs in a number of small details - rather, like many of the A.R.T. totems it is a re-imagining of the original, using the same figures. Their hiring of native designers, and attention to correct form-line usage, ranks them somewhat higher than many of the souvenir totem-pole companies, IMHO.
And speaking of goofy items, I found on Ebay this listing, clearly NW Coast designs, listed as Guatemalan..."Add a touch of Mexican ethnic style to your collection with this set of 2 lapel pins from Guatemala. The intricate design features Aztec mythology and symbolism, making them a unique addition to any jewelry collection. Crafted from brass with enamel detailing, these pins are a testament to the rich cultural heritage of Guatemala."

 

Gotta love it ! It's like a fusion restaurant-'Authentic Hand-Curated Thai Guacamole w/ Our Special Oak Balsamic Frappe'

 

That description, @all_fakes, sounds pure AI.

O, brave new world!

 

I genuinely would not blink at that description on some of our "downtown fancy" restaurants. I called them "try hards" and I refuse to pay that much money for a chef that is trying to reinvent a wheel.