Collection:
Juneau—Douglas City Museum
Object ID:
2006.50.001
Accession#:
2006.50
Credit Line:
Donated by Dennis and Jane Demmert.
Object Name:
Painting, Watercolor
Title:
Taking down of the Old Witch Totem Pole Spring 1970
Artist — Creator:
Rie Munoz
Description:
Watercolor by Rie Munoz of the taking down of the "Old Witch Totem Pole" at 4th and Main Streets at the corner of then the Memorial Library (currently JDCM). The witch totem pole is now housed in the atrium of the State Office Building across the street from the JDCM. (See notes section for more detail)
Notes:
Original watercolor by Rie Munoz in spring of 1970 on the taking down of the old witch pole that was on the corner of the then Library on 4th and Main (now housed in the atrium of the state office building). The pole was being taken down because it needed repair. No one really knew because of its age what kind of structural integrity it had. Concurrent with this need was a totem retrieval project that was being headed up by Dennis Demmert. No one knew if the old poles had the lateral strength to be laid down because they were hundreds of years old. This totem removal was a volunteer effort and Dennis wanted to find out if the process would work on the Totem Heritage Project that would soon be implemented on Village Island, Kasaan, and Tongass poles. Dennis needed to come up with a way to support the pole while pulling it up. This painting shows the process that they used. The entire street was blocked off for this event. They built an 8’x8’ frame scaffold behind the pole for reinforcement and put cables around the pole to hold it in place. There was a last minute decision to use mattresses to pad the pole from the cable. The blue and pink on the poles are mattresses with 2x4s to keep the cable from cutting into the pole. This process worked so it was the process used for the totem heritage project.
On the right of the painting is a young boy who is standing by some mattresses. He came up to Dennis and offered more mattresses but when Dennis asked him if his parents had approved of their mattresses being used in this way, he didn’t reply. Dennis, didn’t take him up on his offer. The bigger gray/brown dog is probably ‘Hindu’, Rie’s dog. Jane Demmert, who hadn’t met Dennis yet, is in the right foreground with a camera. Dale DeArmond is at the library window pointing with the dark hair and braids. Ferrel Campbell was the crane operator and the man in the yellow hardhat’s name is Rex (last name not remembered at this time). Dennis is up on the scaffold on the far right securing the scaffold. Rie Munoz was the ASM’s curator of exhibits, Peter Corey was the curator of collections, and Jane Wallen (Demmert). The ASM was in the governor’s office at the time.
Information given by donors.
On the right of the painting is a young boy who is standing by some mattresses. He came up to Dennis and offered more mattresses but when Dennis asked him if his parents had approved of their mattresses being used in this way, he didn’t reply. Dennis, didn’t take him up on his offer. The bigger gray/brown dog is probably ‘Hindu’, Rie’s dog. Jane Demmert, who hadn’t met Dennis yet, is in the right foreground with a camera. Dale DeArmond is at the library window pointing with the dark hair and braids. Ferrel Campbell was the crane operator and the man in the yellow hardhat’s name is Rex (last name not remembered at this time). Dennis is up on the scaffold on the far right securing the scaffold. Rie Munoz was the ASM’s curator of exhibits, Peter Corey was the curator of collections, and Jane Wallen (Demmert). The ASM was in the governor’s office at the time.
Information given by donors.
People:
Demmert, Dennis
Demmert, Jane
Munoz, Rie
Demmert, Jane
Munoz, Rie
Search Terms:
Totem
Totem Pole
Juneau—Douglas City Museum
Library
Juneau
Totem Heritage Project
Totem Pole
Juneau—Douglas City Museum
Library
Juneau
Totem Heritage Project
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