Honoring History: The Art of Tradition
A vivid display of the aurora is seen above the UA Museum of the North, on the Fairbanks campus, before the start of the fall semester. The Wolf Totem Pole: Everyone’s Grandfather, by Nathan Jackson and Amos Wallace, was part of the museum’s outdoor exhibits.
UAF Professor of Native Art Da-ka-xeen Mehner and UAMN Senior Collections Manager Angela Linn recently appeared on to discuss the removal, conservation, and future exhibition of the totem pole Everyone’s Grandfather. Carved by Nathan Jackson and his apprentices in 1988, the 20-foot totem pole was removed from its outdoor site at the University of ֱֻ Museum of the North (UAMN) after 36 years due to environmental wear. Their conversation delved into the pole’s history, the ceremonial aspects of its lowering, and UAMN’s commitment to cultural preservation.
A Totem Pole with Deep Roots
Commissioned for the 1988 exhibition A Treasured Heritage: Works by Masters and Apprentices, Everyone’s Grandfather was carved by Tlingit master Nathan Jackson, alongside apprentices Lee Wallace and Bert Ryan. The pole, made from western red cedar, features three significant figures—eagle, wolf, and bear—symbolizing the process of one generation teaching the next. It was transported across the frozen UAF campus by 20 people and raised in a traditional Tlingit ceremony.
Linn reflected on the pole’s historical significance, explaining that the exhibition was supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, which funded the hiring of Jackson and his apprentices. During the hot summer of 1988, they carved the pole outside the museum’s west entrance in Fairbanks.
She also discussed the archival materials associated with the pole, such as newspaper articles, brochures, and exhibition documentation, which provide context for its role in both the art world and the museum’s educational mission.
Linn added, “So within all of that, all of that is embedded and embodied for me as someone trained in anthropology and in history and museology, all of that is embedded within this totem pole. And so when I look at that pole that used to sit out there for my entire career at the museum and now is waiting for some additional care in the museum. Now all of that stuff is embodied within it, and now my role comes in to help move it to its next phase in life.”
Nathan Jackson’s totem pole, “Everyone’s Grandfather,” was removed from its site of 36 years and brought inside the museum for conservation and future installation within the building.
For Mehner, the pole holds personal meaning. “Nathan has been a visitor, a presenter, an instructor within the department or within the Native Arts Center multiple times since I've been within that role. He is also a family member. It was a great honor to be able to converse with some of his work and be a part of the moving of the piece itself.”
Honoring Tradition in Conservation
Lowering the totem pole was both a technical and ceremonial process. Mehner led a ceremony to honor the transition, sharing, “There was some ceremonial aspect to it, maybe not to the level that it was when it went up, as large pieces that are named are treated as entities... It's good to talk with them and let them know what's happening before moving. I was very honored when Angie called me and asked me if I would like to be a representative of the Tlingit Nation and do that.”
He continued, “My son, Keet, and my wife, Maya, we’re Woodworm clan… we were able to come up, let it know what was happening and give it a nice little explanation of how things were going to go and that it was going to live inside and sing a song for it. It was one of our canoe songs, but we thought it was appropriate as a song that announces an entering of a building, and so that was the one that we chose to sing as part of it.”
Mehner’s students were invited to witness the process, offering them a unique learning opportunity. “It was great because they did invite my class up as part of the learning experience... and had a number of students there that were really interested in this process and how things should be treated as they're moved. It was a great learning experience for my students as they're watching.”
A totem pole carved by Nathan Jackson is wheeled into the UA Museum of the North in September 2024.
UAMN consulted with Nathan Jackson and his family before making decisions about the pole’s future. The pole is now undergoing preservation treatments, including borate salts to protect the wood, with future plans to install a strong back for stability before it is displayed inside the museum.
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Celebrating Native Art at UAF
Mehner, an internationally recognized artist, serves as the Director of the Native Art Center and Chair of the Art Department at UAF. His work explores Indigenous identity and cultural equity and can be found in collections worldwide. UAF’s Native Art Program is unique—offering ֱֻ’s only Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Native Art and one of the few Master of Fine Arts programs in Native Arts in the country. Students engage in a range of traditional and contemporary practices, from carving and beadwork to mixed media.
The Native Art Center also provides hands-on learning experiences, artist residencies, and outreach programs that connect students with ֱֻ Native communities and traditions.