Totem Pole

Explanation about the family history symbolized in this carving, by the artist David Bell.

This would be considered a lineage pole. The crests were those of my great grandmother, Ruth Nowell. They would have been part of a dowry given to my great grandfather, Charles Nowell, when they were married.
The Eagle on the top of the pole is the Namgis crest of Ruth's father, Lagius, a chief of the Namgis. The Grizzly Bear is a Fort Rupert crest of Ruth's mother, who was a Gixsam, second tribe of the Kwakiutl. The Killer Whale represents Ruth's grandmother, who was a Tlowitsis. The bottom figure represents my great grandfather, Charles Nowell, who was part of the Winaliagalis, the Warrior Society.

His dance was called the Hawinalal. It told of a great warrior who always wanted to make war and the only way to stop him was to put holes through his arms, legs and back, then lash him to the rafters of the Big House. When they went to war, he would dance around the fire yelling "I, I, Yi" and point to the rafters. He knew he had to be tied up again.