Salish Dzunukwa Totem by Simon Charlie

Cowichan Coast Salish Dzunukwa Totem Pole by Simon Charlie, OC; OBC. 74"H Simon Charlie (1919 - 2005) was an important Cowichan carver who was largely based in the town of Duncan, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island. Through the City of Totems initiative in Duncan, Charlie created several full-scale, monumental totem poles that are on public view around the city. Simon Charlie was celebrated in his lifetime and was the recipient of several honours in his lifetime, including the Order of Canada [1] and the Order of British Columbia. [2] Charlie was also a featured artist at the Expo67 Centennial exhibition in Montreal, Quebec, in the Indians of Canada pavilion alongside Mungo Martin and George Clutesi, among others. [3] Like other Coast Salish artists active in the mid-20th century, Charlie was influenced by more Northern Northwest Coast cultures in creating free-standing, multi-figured monumental totem poles. Unlike many of his Salish contemporaries, however, Simon Charlie didn’t draw from Northern formline design conventions and instead created deeply idiosyncratic, but still essentially Coast Salish, objects. Today, Charlie is remembered as an important artist who helped revitalize Coast Salish carving and raise public awareness of Coast Salish art and culture. This larger, house post-sized pole features, from the top: a Dzunukwa, two stolen Children in a Basket and a third Child’s head between the Dzunukwa’s legs, and a humanoid figure that may represent a Wildman. While Dzunukwa is a Kwak’wala word and supernatural being, the Cowichan have stories about a similar being called Tth’uwxe’lets or Thoxelets, the Pitch Lady. [4] There is a very similar pole by Simon Charlie (object number AA 66) in the collection of the Museum of Vancouver (MOV), which has allowed this pole to be attributed to Charlie. That pole was created in the1960s or 1970s for Canadian Cabin Crafts, a Vancouver, BC, based shop that sold First Nations and Inuit art on Robson Street. [5] The striking, clown-like appearance of the Dzunukwa/Tth’uwxe’lets and the frowning faces of the Children in the Basket on the Cisco’s pole are characteristic of Simon Charlie’s art, as is the highly textured surface of the wood. Please Note: The back of the Cisco’s pole has a note written on it that reads “Canadian Art Products Made in 1890,” but this was likely added later by an owner speculating on the age and mis-remembering the name of the art shop. It’s not uncommon for the age of totem poles to be overestimated by families who inherit them. This pole dates to the 1940s or 1950s. 1. Mr. Hwunumetse' - Simon Charlie. The Governor General of Canada. https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-1693. Accessed 18 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 18 Nov 2025. 3. Welcome Figure by Simon Charlie (RBCM 19114). Royal BC Museum Online Catalogue. https://totems.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/index.php/en/connection/welcome-figure-rbcm19114. Accessed 18 Nov 2025. 4. Personal Communication. Thanks to Eliot White-Hill for sharing this knowledge. 5. Totem pole model, Hwunumetse' (Simon Charlie). Museum of Vancouver. openMOV. https://www.openmovportal.ca/argus/final/Portal/Main.aspx?lang=en-CA. Accessed 18 November 2025.

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