Vintage Eagle Totem by Larry Rudick

Late 20th Century

18"" H + 1.75"" x 5"" square stand

Chief Shakes raven totem pole by carver Larry Rudick. Larry Rudick is a non-Indigenous carver who married into the Williams family of Ditidaht carvers, based in Seattle. Rudick learned to carve from his in-laws and have been making totems in their style since the 1970s.

This pole is Rudick’s interpretation of the Tlingit Chief Shakes Totem Pole of Wrangell, Alaska. The original Chief Shakes Totem was carved by Tlingit master carver William Ukas (1834-1903) and was a popular image on “Totem Pole Route” steamship advertisements and a popular destination for tourists.

All of this exposure served to make the Chief Shakes Totem an iconic symbol of Alaska and a frequent source of inspiration for model totem pole carvers. Rudick’s version here is a slightly truncated adaptation of the original and features Raven in a chiefly hat sitting on the Box of Daylight, Mother Raven, and Frog, mounted on chamfered base.