Ceremony dedicates new Totem Pole Trail along downtown Juneau waterfront

Hundreds celebrated at a dedication ceremony Saturday the first dozen of 30 new totem poles along the Juneau waterfront that will comprise Kootéeyaa Deiyí, Totem Pole Trail.

Over the past week, the poles carved by Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian artists were raised along the downtown waterfront, each depicting the crests of their respective clans and tribes. Most of the artists spent more than six months creating the poles after being commissioned by Sealaska Heritage Institute, which launched the Kootéeyaa Deiyí initiative in 2021 through a $2.9 million grant from the Mellon Foundation.

The 12 poles soon will be joined by 18 more.

During Saturday's event, Heritage Plaza was overflowing as dozens of students from the Tlingit culture, language and literacy program at Harborview Elementary led a procession. The event featured speeches from renowned Alaska Native artists and leaders from across Southeast.

The ceremony also celebrated the unveiling of "Faces of Alaska," a new installation of five, 4-foot bronze masks that represent the diversity of Alaska Native cultures including the Inupiat, Yup'ik, Alutiiq and Athabascan peoples, and a combined mask for the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian peoples, according to the Sealaska Heritage Institute

Sealaska Heritage President Rosita Worl said the poles will further the goal of the institute and the city and borough of Juneau of making the community the Northwest Coast art capital of the world.

"Gunalchéesh to clans and tribes whose crests and masks are represented here, and to the master artists who created these iconic works that will stand among the greatest art collections of the world," she said.

Fran Houston, cultural Leader of the A'akw Kwáan tribe, said the poles will serve to bring unity and positivity to Juneau and the Alaska Native community.

"We need to come together, and that's what we're doing. We see these beautiful, beautiful totem poles out here, I've taken the walk through the walkway to the (Gastineau) channel - it's beautiful," she said. "All of this will bring us together, support each other, love one another."

Renowned Haida master artist Robert Davidson congratulated the artists for taking on the challenge of creating a totem pole and thanked them for what the poles will mean for the future of Alaska Native art in Juneau and Southeast.

"These totem poles mark this time in our history, the strength we are gaining in reclaiming our rightful place in the world," he said. "Art is our official language throughout our history, to help keep our spirit alive, now arts help us reconnect with our history and ceremonies."

Through the grant, Sealaska Heritage hired 10 Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian artists, including TJ and Joe Young of Hydaburg, Jon Rowan of Klawock, David R. Boxley of Metlakatla, Nathan and Stephen Jackson of Saxman, Nicholas Galanin and Tommy Joseph of Sitka, Robert Mills of Kake and Mick Beasley of Juneau. Haida artist Warren Peele was also hired to make a totem pole for the project in 2022 through a separate grant from the Denali Commission.

The Mellon grant also funded apprentices to mentor alongside each of the artists.

"We discovered through this process that there aren't a lot of master artist Northwest Coast totem pole carvers," Worl said in a prepared statement before Saturday's event. "Sealaska Heritage Institute's Native Artist Committee considers a person a master artist totem pole carver if he/she has carved at least five totem poles. With the limited number of master totem pole carvers, the mentor-apprentice arrangement became a vital component of the project."

Each totem pole will feature a corresponding story board that identifies the clan, crests and information related to the artwork.