The Ancestors Totem Pole by Fred Fulmer Tlingit Artist

Fred Fulmer carving The Ancestors Totem Pole.
Each Fred Fulmer Native Holiday Ornament is made from 1/4 inch acrylic and is double-sided.

These beautiful Native holiday tree ornaments bring a touch of the Pacific Northwest Coast Art to your festive Holidays.

This Native design is available in acrylic magnets, key rings, ornaments, and wood stickers.

Fred's Inspiration:

When we moved back to Washington from Juneau, Ak. I decided It was time to carve a Totem pole design that I wanted to carve for many years. I was going to carve this one by myself.  I acquired a cedar log from Duane Pasco. It was 16 ft long, 36 inches wide and 19 inches deep.

The main figure on the Totem is the "Ixt" Shaman standing on the mountain, the mountain is represented by a Face. The stories I heard from my uncle's & aunt's inspired me to carve this pole. I had a dream about the Ancestors one night. It was a setting in my moms ancestral homeland about 300-400 yrs ago. The mask design evolved as the dream progressed. When I awoke I sketched what I saw on a piece of paper. I decided That to show respect to my Ancestors I needed to carve a large mask. I had an extra 3.5 ft of wood on top of my Totem log.

I decided to carve the Ancestors on the log and then cut it off when finished carving it. This means I had 2 separate projects I was going to carve from one log. As an artist this excited me. I started carving the Ancestors on the top first. As I was making progress, my wife came out to see how it was looking. She told me that I should keep the Ancestors mask on the log. I didn't agree, because the Artist part of me was the one on center stage. I mean how often do I get to carve two separate projects from one log. Anyways 2 other women also suggested keeping it on the log as well. Three matrilineal ladies made the same suggestion without the knowledge of the the other two making the same suggestion. Very kewl since the Tlingit people are a Matrilineal society. Anyways I ended up keeping the Ancestors attached to the Totem.  I tell more of an account on my website. 

I call the Totem pole: "The Ancient Ones- The Ancestors Pole" The Ancestors are giving counsel to the "Ixt" Shaman who is standing on the Mountain Top".

-Fred Fulmer