House Frontal Pole at The British Museum, London

myminifactory

This is a house frontal pole made of red cedar. It originates from the Haida people, Tanu of British Columbia, the Northwest Coast of America from the 19th Century. Haida houses served as ceremonial spaces where potlaches or feasts were performed to celebrate life cycle events. Memorial potlatches commemorating the accession of new chiefs were, and still are, the most important events. Today potlatches are held in purpose-built community Big Houses. This doorway is carved with various crest animals. An eagle sits at the top of the pole. Underneath is a subsidiary crest, probably a hard. On either side of the hawk are the horns of a mountain goat. The large figure at the bottom is a baleen whale.   This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.