Erected in the early 1880s by a Tlingit leader, barely a decade after the United States had claimed Alaska from Russia, this pole became popular with white Alaskans who read it as a memorial to Abraham Lincoln.
Creators: Original pole carved by Thleda (Nisgaʼa) for a patron from the Gaanax.ádi Raven clan of the Taantʼa kwáan (or “Tongass”) Tlingit; replica carved for the Saxman Totem Park by Charles Staastʼ Brown (Saanya kwáan Neix.ádi)
Date of Creation: Original c. 1882; replica June 1940
Place of origin: Kadukguká, Tlingit village on Tongass Island, Alaska
Physical measurements: Approx. 40ʼ high
Materials: Red cedar, paint
Process by which it was made: Carving, painting
Current location: Replica of entire pole in the Saxman Totem Park, Saxman, Alaska; original “Lincoln” finial in the Alaska State Museum, Juneau, Alaska
Information contributed by Emily Moore.