“The wood smells so lovely – what sort of tree is it?” – “What exactly is it going to be?” – “Oh, this campaign suits Globetrotter so well!” – “Ah, it’s in good hands at the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum.” – “It’s brilliant that Wilderness International is campaigning for the Canadian rainforests; I’ve been there many times and love the ancient giant trees on Vancouver Island.” These are the kinds of comments I hear during my five-day stay at the totem pole project right in the heart of Cologne city centre. The interest shown by the friendly and open-minded people of Cologne remains undiminished. They want everything explained to them in detail, because when do you ever get the chance to witness the creation of a lasting work of art first-hand? Uncle Harold Joe and his assistant George Rice, from the Cowichan tribe on Vancouver Island, are publicly crafting a totem pole for six weeks in front of the Globetrotter in Olivandenhof. As soon as the pair start working on the trunk of the beautiful cedar tree, passers-by stop in their tracks and marvel. Many of them pick up a carving knife themselves and, under Uncle Harold Joe’s expert guidance, learn how best to carve the intended figures. Children in particular are repeatedly beckoned over by the two Native Americans and encouraged to try their hand at carving. There are even carving courses on offer, for which they can sign up! The €5 participation fee goes directly to Wilderness International and thus towards the protection of Canada’s temperate rainforests. Ultimately, it is to be a totem pole for and by the people of Cologne, which will first be erected on 5 October 2013 with a drumming ceremony in front of the Globetrotter and finally with a formal ceremony on 15 May2014 in front of the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum. The Indigenous people feel the warmth and enduring interest of the people of Cologne in their work and in the old-growth forests of Canada’s west coast, and are delighted to be able to pass on a piece of their endangered culture in this way. In upcoming blog posts, you’ll read about the significance of the individual animals that Uncle Harold and George will be carving into the totem pole. At least the thunderbird is now fully recognisable in its form; it will adorn the top of the 8-metre-high totem pole.
Ellen Weiland