My Favorite Totems
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Abraham Lincoln Pole
Although totem poles are often thought of as having many abstract figures, animals and birds from top to bottom, many poles have only one or a few figures such as this one with Abraham Lincoln at the top. It is an example of a story pole; it commemorates an event with a story behind it. What follows is the story behind this pole.
In 1868 the US Government built a fort on Tongass Island and assigned a revenue cutter named the Lincoln to the area. At the time, the Kagwantan Eagles and the Tongass Ravens were at war. The Eagles drove the Ravens onto a small island with little food and no water. When the Lincoln arrived at the island, the two groups made peace under the shelter of its guns. This pole was carved to commemorate the event. It is a replica; the original is now in the Alaska State Museum in Juneau.
