Tlingit & Haida Unveils Revitalized Veterans Totem Pole in Juneau

The Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes posted video today from its Memorial Day ceremony unveiling a revitalized totem pole at Southeast Alaska Native Veterans Memorial Park in Juneau, honoring Indigenous warriors who served and protected Tlingit and Haida homelands across generations.

Master carver Jon Rowan and his apprentice Lea Armour replicated the original pole, which featured an Eagle/Raven and bentwood box design carved by George Bennett and his son 15 years ago. Tlingit & Haida expressed gratitude in both Tlingit and Haida after the unveiling: "Gunalchéesh, Háw'aa to everyone who turned out to celebrate the unveiling of the revitalized totem pole for our Southeast Alaska Veterans Memorial Park in Juneau."

Rowan described the responsibility he felt taking on the work. "I knew I had to do my utmost best," he said. "I tried to stay with the original design as much as possible. Very honored to have been given this task."

A veteran speaker framed the ceremony in terms that reached back well before modern military service. "Clinkets, Haidas, Tsimshian, we're the first defenders of these lands," the speaker said. "Our people serve because it's that commitment to defending our homelands, and we just always want to say gunalchéeshawa for that."

The long-term plan for the memorial park is to add another totem pole and install name placards on the park's walls.