 June 27, 2002
The replica pole was removed last year for repairs, treatment of an insect infestation, and for repainting. The repair work was funded through a grant from the City of Ketchikan Museums Department. The restored replica of the Chief Johnson totem pole was rededicated and again raised Tuesday morning. Later in the afternoon a prayer was offered and Israel Shotridge performed the bear dance - a dance given to him by his mother, Tlingit elder Esther Shea. Events continued at the KIC building on Deermount with a dinner and dancing. The original Chief Johnson totem pole was carved in 1901 and was located at approximately the same location until 1982. The Chief Johnson Totem Pole plaque located at the replica's foot reads: "Totem poles are carved to honor deceased ancestors, record history, social events, and oral tradition. They were never worshiped as religious objects. This totem, carved by Israel Shotridge and raised in 1989, is a replica of the Chief Johnson, or Kajuk, Totem Pole raised in this general location in 1901 for the Ganaxadi Tlingit of the Raven moiety of the Tanta Kwan (Tongass) group. The original memorial pole stood until 1982. Except of Kajuk atop the pole, the figures symbolize a single story about Raven. Fog Woman is identified with the summer salmon run when fog lies at the mouth of streams. She produces all salmon and causes them to return to the creeks of their birth."
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