Grand Hall tour
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History of the Pole |
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Map of the Gitksan villages of the Skeena and Nass Rivers
From The Totem Poles and Monuments of Gitwangak Village by
George MacDonald, 1984
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The totem pole Gambalch was carved in 1876 by William Brown
(Kwodzabax) and erected in the Tsimshian village of
Gitsegukla on the upper
Skeena river (see map) by Thomas Campbell
(Alimlaxe) and his brothers from the family
of Ksrarom-larhae in the House of Gim-sta-lox
("House-of-the-inside-the-half-Sun"). Skugumlahaxe
is the Head Chief of the Gim-sta-lox. Since there are two groups
in one House, the other group is under Niis Noolth. Some House
groups may have three divisions, but only one head, hereditary Chief
to oversee the group.
The pole was first photographed in 1910 by George T. Emmons
for the Museum of the American Indian. It was recorded in a painting entitled
Totem
Poles, Kitseukla by Emily Carr in 1912 (now
owned by the Vancouver Art Gallery).
In 1925 Marius Barbeau of the Museum Branch of the Department of Mines
photographed and documented the pole. By 1952 when it was again
photographed, by Professor Wilson Duff of the University of British
Columbia, the pole, which had stood upright in the village for about
65 years, had been lying on the ground for about 10 years. In 1967
three sections of the pole were acquired by art dealer W. Helmer
and were stored by him in Vancouver for the next 22 years.
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1909-1910
Photograph: George T. Emmons
CMC 71-5577
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1924
Photograph: Marius Barbeau
CMC 62581
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1926
Photograph: H. I. Smith
CMC 68551
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Master Carver Sam Wesley
Photograph: Chris Payne
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In 1989 the Canadian Museum of Civilization acquired those three
surviving sections of the pole from Helmer, thanks to a contribution
from the Government of Canada under the terms of the
Cultural
Properties Export and Import Act. In 1997 an agreement between
the Museum and the Hereditary House Chiefs Ray Jones (
Niis
Noolth) and Vernon Milton (
Skugumlahaxe)
led to the restoration of the three original sections by the Museum and
the recarving of the four missing sections of the pole by master carver
Sam Wesley of Gitsegukla. The pole was erected in the Museum on
March 30, 1998 and re-dedicated on May 17.
The original carver was William Nass or Brown (Kwodzabax)
of the house of Taku of Gitwanga. Brown belonged to the Tsimshian
counterpart of the Fireweed phratry (the Gispwudwade).
This makes him a phratric relative, which is contrary to a universal
custom of having the carver from outside the phratry (kinship group).
Some arrangement may have been made to address this problem: normally a
nominal carver outside the phratry is identified to oversee the work.
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Thomas Campbell of Gitsegukla, who commissioned the pole,
wearing his Lawrombalerh (Moth) headdress, a button
blanket, and a twisted cedar neck-ring.
Photograph: Marius Barbeau
1924, CMC 62528
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Mrs. Thomas Campbell of Gitsegukla (Niestau in
Hagasil's house), wearing the crest of Lawrombalerh
borrowed from her husband and a button blanket with a braided cedar neck-ring.
Photograph: Marius Barbeau
1924, CMC 62531
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Hereditary Chief Ray Jones (left) is wearing the Grouse
Headdress while Hereditary Chief Vernon Milton wears the Moth
(Lawrombalerh) Headdress, a modern version of the
headdress worn by Tom Campbell.
Photograph: Chris Payne
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Date created: March 29, 2000Last updated: March 16, 2007
