 | | Coming home? Salford's totem |
Salford's links with the tribes of North America date back more than century to November 1887, when the legendary Buffalo Bill brought his Wild West Show to Salford complete with 97 native Americans, 180 broncos and 18 buffalo and set up camp on the banks of the River Irwell. Salford's very own Indian tracker Councillor Steve Coen has already traced living descendants of at least one of the native American performers, known as Charging Thunder, who stayed behind after the show left town. Now he's hoping the city will commemorate its historic links with American Indians by erecting a genuine Canadian Indian totem pole which first arrived at Salford Docks in the late 1960s. It was donated to shipping company OOCL in the heyday of Salford Docks and, for years, stood outside their offices at Furness House close to the Manchester Ship Canal before it was taken down in 2005 because of its deterioration. The pole has now been traced, and now Cllr Coen wants the council to recover the pole, refurbish it if necessary, and find a prominent new home for it at the Quays. Said Cllr Coen: "It's another extraordinary story of our city's unlikely links with North America. These are such amazing stories they deserve to be told and re-told.
 | | Charging Thunder (in head dress) |
"I hope we can bring the totem pole back to the Quays a lasting symbol of the city's trading past. The docks were a great place, and these links with the ordinary people of Canada and North America remain an important part of our city even today." Said Salford City Council's lead member for planning, Cllr Derek Antrobus: "I hope we will soon see the pole erected in a prominent location at the Quays. We have already investigated the possibility of listing the pole to protect it for future generations, and aim to continue to tell the story of the city's links with native Americans." Totem facts - The totem pole was commissioned by Robert Stoker, chairman of Manchester Liners, and shipped to England in the summer of 1969.
- Stoker regarded the pole as a reminder of the historic trading links between Manchester and Canada, a trade in which Manchester Liners played an important part.
- The pole is made out of Columbian pine (most poles were of red cedar)
- The carving of totem poles is an important part of the culture of the Indian tribes who inhabit the coastal regions of British Columbia.
- Poles are powerful and distinctive cultural statements, the meanings of the different symbols represented on the poles being related to the myths and history of the particular tribe.
- The totem pole is carved with animals and figures important in Kwakiutl culture. These include the eagle representing the noble and omnipotent ruler of the skies, the killer whale representing the master of the seas, and the raven representing the messenger. At the base is a Chief holding coppers, symbolising wealth and power.
- The carving of poles went into decline from the late 19th century as the indigenous traditions and rituals of the native tribes were attacked by missionaries and the government.
- A renaissance of wood-carving skills occurred in the second half of the 20th century as part of a wider reassertion of Indian culture.
| 
