Monumental Thunderbird Totem Pole by Simon Charlie

Monumental Thunderbird, Black Bear, and Killer Whale Totem Pole by Simon Charlie (1919-2005), OC; OBC. 9'2"H x 20" at base. Simon Charlie (1919-2005) was a prolific Coast Salish/Cowichan carver who created a wide range of objects for sale, but he was most known for his monumental totem poles. Charlie was celebrated for his art in his lifetime and was the recipient of the Centennial Award (1967),[1] the Order of British Columbia (2001), [2] and the Order of Canada (2003). [3] Thanks to the City of Totems program, Duncan, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island likely has the largest collection of Simon Charlie’s monumental work in the world. Over the course of his career, Simon Charlie developed a unique, but highly influential, style of Coast Salish carving that combined the exaggerated features of caricature, brightly colored paints, and prominent adze marks that lend his work a unique textural element. Like other Coast Salish artists from this era, Charlie drew inspiration from more Northern Northwest Coast First Nations, (most notably in his free-standing, multifigure poles). But even in creating monumental multifigure totem poles, Charlie avoided incorporating excessive Northern formline elements into his designs, which helped him maintain an idiosyncratic, but essentially Coast Salish, quality in his art. In addition to his public monumental work in Duncan, Simon Charlie’s work can be found in major public collections, including the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, the Canadian Museum of History, the Museum of Vancouver, the Royal British Columbia Museum, and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. This pole is thematically and stylistically related to several of the monumental poles in Duncan, especially the Pole of Wealth (1988) on Canada Avenue (in Downtown Duncan) and the Provincial Route of the Totems Salish Bear Pole, in the Cowichan Branch of the Vancouver Island Public Library. [4] The feet of the Black Bear on this pole feature smiling and frowning human faces, just as on the Pole of Wealth, which is a recurring element on Charlie’s monumental totem poles. Likewise, the textured finishing and proportions of this pole are very similar to the Provincial Route of the Totems Salish Bear Pole. Carved in Duncan, BC, in1958 for the owner of a timber company, this pole features a Thunderbird, Black Bear with Human faces in his feet eating a Salmon, and a diving Killer Whale. The Thunderbird has carved, low-relief Eagles in profile on its wings and the Killer Whale features a number of Human faces in its blowhole, pectoral fins, and along its flanks. As on Charlie’s other carvings, the fluke of the Killer Whale is anthropomorphized into a humanoid face. 1. Simon Charlie. Duncan Sightseeing. http://www.duncansightseeing.com/simon-charlie/. Accessed 12 Nov 2025. 2. Simon Charlie Biography. Museum of Anthropology at MOA MOA-CAT. https://collection-online.moa.ubc.ca/search/person?person=505&tab=biography. Accessed 12 Nov 2025. 3. Mr. Hwunumetse' - Simon Charlie. The Governor General of Canada. https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-1693. Accessed 12 Nov 2025. 4. Simon Charlie. Duncan Sightseeing. http://www.duncansightseeing.com/simon-charlie/. Accessed 12 Nov 2025.

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