Northwest Coast

Bronze Cast
Edition of 12

Available upon special order – individually custom-made

76 x 5.25 x 10.25 (talking stick only)

78.25 x 8 x 10.25 (including base)

“A talking stick is literally a miniature totem pole. Like a totem pole, the figures that adorn them are crests and stories that belong to a particular chief. In essence, the stick symbolizes the owner’s bloodline. When I do a talking stick, the characters I choose are not to define who owns it. My job is just to make an interesting sculptural piece. From top to bottom, the pole figures [on this piece] are Beaver and Frog, Raven and Frog, and, lastly, Bear and Human. The very top features a leaping Killerwhale.”

“Ironically, the last job I did for Bill Reid was the talking stick for the ‘Spirit of Haida Gwaii.’ My design, which included a leaping Killerwhale, was scrapped for copying an existing carving in the Smithsonian, a walking stick. ‘No time to get fancy,’ said Bill. So, I made his copy to meet the deadline, after which Bill decided that maybe we had time now to put my whale on top. Needless to say, I declined to do the job and saved my whale for my own talking stick.” – Don Yeomans