Lithuanian carved wooden shrines (koplystulpiai) and totem poles in the Pacific Northwest Coast

• In Event: Plenary: Indigenous and Baltic Crossroads

Abstract

From the past to the present, cultures around the world, including the Lithuanians and the Indigenous people of the Northwest Coast, have crafted columnar carvings. Their significance to their creators differ, as wooden shrines are religious and totem poles primarily indicators of family histories that include interactions with the supernatural world. However, these two art forms share a history of imperialist oppression and resistance to efforts to eradicate their cultural significance. In both cases, these carvings became signifiers of resistance and are still being created as expressions of identity and cultural endurance.

Author

• Aldona Jonaitis, Director Emerita, University of Alaska Museum of the North