The 41.5 foot totem pole is usually the first thing people see when they come to Kokopelli. This magnificent work of art was done by a very accomplished Squamish artist from British Columbia, Canada by the name of Xwa Lack Tun. Some of his well known works in Vancouver include yellow cedar double doors carved for BC Hydro, as well as doors at Harrison Hot Springs. Xwa Lack Tun was even asked to work on artwork for the recent 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The Totem Pole at Kokopelli has quite a story of its own.
During frequent trips to British Columbia and Alaska, Paul, the owner of Kokopelli became fascinated with native totem poles. During one of his trips to BC in 2006, Paul happened to meet Xwalacktun, and the two instantly became friends. Xwalacktun proceeded to take Paul on a tour of the area, from Vancouver up to Whistler. Everywhere they went, Xwalacktun was treated like a celebrity, his work being a prominent part of village buildings, meeting houses and private homes.
It was then decided that Kokopelli should have its own totem pole, carved from a single red cedar tree. Paul had his heart set on having a totem pole that was over 40 feet. It was no easy task to find a tree that was that tall, that straight and didn’t have too many branches (knots make carving difficult). Fortunately, Xwalacktun had friends in the forestry service that could scout for possible trees. After almost six months of searching, a tree was finally found that met all of the criteria, there was just one problem, the tree was on protected Squamish land. Fortunately Xwalacktun was Squamish himself, and therefore was able to get permission to harvest the great tree. The tree had to be taken down in winter, because during warmer months, the heavy machinery needed to fell and remove the giant tree would disturb the soft ground of the pristine wilderness. After the magnificent tree was harvested, Xwalacktun now faced the task of carving the massive pole. He decided to do a very traditional design, except for the small Kokopelli on the front, which was a surprise for Paul. After almost 10 months, the great totem pole was finally finished. As they prepared the tree for its long journey across the United States, a group of elders came out to perform a ceremony for the transfer of ownership of the tree. The elders said prayers and burned sage as they appointed Paul as the new guardian of the tree. In the summer of 2008, the great totem pole was erected in its permanent home in front of the new Kokopelli in West Ossipee, NH.
Totem Pole