Mid 20th Century Hand-Carved Signed Totem Pole, Pacific Northwest Coast, Native American

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This Northwest coast, hand-carved totem pole, depicts human and animal figures standing on top of one another. Made of painted … Read more This Northwest coast, hand-carved totem pole, depicts human and animal figures standing on top of one another. Made of painted cedar, the pole is carved from a 1/2 cylindrical section of wood, mounted on a wooden base and shows four stacked creatures. On the crest (at the top), is a fierce looking bird, with out-stretched wings. Next, is a turtle, clutching the bird’s belly, then we have a human figure with elongated eyes and decorations on its cheeks. Lastly, on the bottom is perhaps another bird. Totem poles, usually represent ancestors, or tell of tribal or family legends or disputes. They can also talk about animals or supernatural spirits. As this piece was likely made in the 1960’s, before the 1990’s Indian Arts and Crafts Act, there is no documentation for this Native American totem pole, but it is signed/engraved on the bottom (see pics).
These vintage, Pacific, Northwest Coast totem poles were usually carved by the Haida, Kwaguitl and the Tsimshan tribes. The colors that were used by these groups were very similar, red and black. I have enclosed a photo of an almost identical totem pole and an interesting article about its history. See less