Memorial Pole: Brown Bear, Killer Whale
Dàasaxakw (Village Island)

Tlingit

The top figure is a brown bear, distinguished by flaring nostrils, strong teeth, and sharp claws. Below this, a killer whale swims downward with a human face depicted on its tail. The human face is a glimpse into the killer whale's world, and its location represents that the tail is the center of this animal's strength.

Loan to Ketchikan Museums: Alaska's Heritage in Peril Collection
87.2.50.13