Alaska
Yaadaas Crest Corner Pole
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A figure of the Village Watchman at the top is unique
to Haida crest poles and has no significance or relationship
to the crests. It was intended to let the people
know that they were being watched over and will be
protected.
The clan chief’s hat worn by the Watchman is often
mistakenly thought to be the high-crowned silk hat
of 19th century fashion. This error also leads to the
conclusion that the figure of the Village Watchman
represents either President Lincoln or his Secretary of
State William H. Seward who brokered the purchase
of Alaska.
The carved hat worn by the Town Watchman is intended
to represent the conical chief’s hat that was carved
of wood or woven of spruce roots and topped by a series
of rings carved into the wood or cylinders woven
of spruce roots and attached such that the cylinders
swayed as the wearer of the hat danced.
Each cylinder or ring indicates the number of potlatches
that have been given. The greater the number
of cylinders on the chief’s hat, the greater the status of
the clan.
The crests on this pole include Raven sitting in
human form below the Watchman, representing the
lineage of the family which owned the pole.
Below is Raven as the bird raven, and finally the bear
at the bottom, which holds an animal in its mouth.
Sitka National Historic Park
