Published in The Seattle Times online on Nov. 14, 2024
and in Pacific NW Magazine of the printed Times on Nov. 17, 2024
‘People of the Salmon’ totem pole celebrated at Lake Union Ivar’s
By Jean Sherrard
Seattle restaurateur Ivar Haglund heard that property he owned along the north edge of Lake Union had once been an Indigenous gathering place, an invigorating vision was born.
The seafood salesman scuttled plans for a Hong Kong-themed restaurant and — with a doff of his familiar captain’s cap — opted to honor those who had feasted on salmon and shellfish for millennia.
His vision took shape at a University of Washington institution. “I wanted to do something legitimate and different,” he recalled for friend and columnist Emmett Watson. “One day at the Burke Museum, there it was: a replica of an authentic Indian longhouse, big places where Indians met, lived and ate.”
By the late 1960s, the inspired Haglund launched plans to build his own longhouse, fill it with Northwest art and artifacts and serve customers salmon cooked over a huge fire pit. Built with split cedar logs and lodge poles, Ivar’s Salmon House became the third restaurant in what is today a legendary Puget Sound chain.
Continuing Haglund’s original vision, Ivar’s recently recruited Alaskan-born David Boxley to replace a deteriorating Northwest Coast-style totem pole in the restaurant’s entry courtyard.
Creativity caught Boxley early on. Raised in the Alaskan community of Metlakatla, on Annette Island near Ketchikan, he knew he wanted to be an artist in third grade. After minoring in art at college, he dedicated himself to re-discovering once forbidden Tsimshian traditions in art, dance and song.
Today, his 86 totem poles stand around the world, with one on
permanent display at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.
“I started carving to bring back a culture that was erased,” he says. “I’m proud to have been a part of its revitalization.”
Boxley’s celebrated carving gifts are amplified by his extended family, including children and grandchildren, who compose the Git Hoan (“People of the Salmon”) Dancers, who use movement and song to revive traditional stories.
In September, more than 100 spectators assembled at the Salmon House to mark installation of Boxley’s latest pole. By turns graceful, joyful and, yes, electrifying, the troupe showcased Boxley’s articulated masks, bringing artistic masterpieces to kinetic life.
Raven-masked dancers wove through the audience, playfully clacking wooden beaks. A heart-stoppingly graceful orca arrived to the crash of drums, its hinged mask swung open to reveal a second hidden face beneath. And a Tsimshian salmon, larger than life, circled the parking lot, flashing ornate fins and tail, while the youngest members of Git Hoan flowed in its wake.
Throughout, Boxley’s red-cedar totem pole stood sentinel above this gathering place.
The purpose was dual and simultaneous: to bless and be blessed.
WEB EXTRAS
For our narrated 360 video of this column, click here.
One news clip:
A selection of photos from the event are included below (click twice to enlarge):
Have always loved the Salmon House, especially at Christmas when the Christmas ships parade by on the water. Probably because I have some native blood from many generations back, that place speaks to my heritage.