Tlingit Bear Totem by Charlie Joe Tagcook

Bear Totem Store Totem Pole (c. 1930s) by Charlie Joe Tagcook (Tlingit, c. 1866-1950). 20"H Charlie Joe Tagcook (also spelled Tagook) was a prolific and skilled Tlingit artist who created monumental totem poles and other objects for sale in the first half of the 20th century. Tagcook worked as the in-house carver for Walter C. Waters at the Bear Totem Store in Wrangell, Alaska, creating both monumental and model totem poles for sale. Tagcook was also the lead carver (with William N. Brown) on the Governor’s Totem Pole [1] in Juneau for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), from 1930-1940. [2] Renowned Tlingit carver Nathan Jackson is the great-great grandnephew of Tagcook and credits him as an inspiration for making monumental poles. Today, Tagcook’s work can be seen at the Governor’s Mansion in Juneau, in the Portland Art Museum (PAM), and the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, among others. This model pole was made by Tagcook for the Bear Totem Store, a curio shop owned by Walter C. Waters in Wrangell, Alaska. This pole is carved in red cedar and painted in what looks like old mineral paints. It is mounted on a beveled base and features, from the top: An anthropomorphic Wolf or Bear with distended tongue and bared teeth, an anthropomorphic Bear with Potlatch Rings holding a Flatfish, and a Bear Mask atop a small pedestal. Please Note: The back of this model pole has an old paper label from the Bear Totem Store, which describes the “Grave Totems” that the shop sold and identifies this as a model of a “Grave Totem.” To be clear, this model pole was made by Tagcook for sale and is not a funerary item. That said, Waters was a controversial historic figure and is now suspected to have stolen objects from Tlingit graves around Southeastern Alaska. [3] 1. Alaska Governor’s Totem Pole. Public Art Archive. https://publicartarchive.org/art/Governor-s-Totem-Pole/f4ebc520. Accessed 18 Nov 2025. 2. Alaska Governor’s Totem Pole. Living New Deal. https://livingnewdeal.org/sites/governors-totem-pole-juneau-ak/. Accessed 18 Nov 2025. 3. Troubled Waters: The Store That Sold Out Wrangell. https://www.wrangellhistoryunlocked.com/blog/troubled-waters. Accessed 18 Nov 2025.