In 2019, two Kaigani Haida (Alaskan Haida) totem poles (Xaadas Gyáa’ang) were re-raised in the renovated Northwest Coast gallery of the Denver Art Museum. Lee Wallace and his family, descendants of Haida carver Dwight Wallace and Dwight’s son John Wallace, led a ceremony that publicly acknowledged the Wallace family’s connection to the two poles, reintroduced Haida cultural protocols into their care and viewing, and set the stage for future collaborations between the museum and family. This study explores the history of the poles and the intersecting forces that shaped their journey from Sukkwan, Alaska, to Denver, including shifting ideals of preservation, rights to cultural patrimony, and assertions of Indigenous sovereignty in Southeast Alaska. Through interviews with Lee Wallace, as well as DAM employees, this thesis situates the pole-raising ceremony within the larger and ongoing journey of the poles, as well as within pushes to decolonize or Indigenize museums.
","abstract_html":"<p>In 2019, two Kaigani Haida (Alaskan Haida) totem poles (Xaadas Gyáa’ang) were re-raised in the renovated Northwest Coast gallery of the Denver Art Museum. Lee Wallace and his family, descendants of Haida carver Dwight Wallace and Dwight’s son John Wallace, led a ceremony that publicly acknowledged the Wallace family’s connection to the two poles, reintroduced Haida cultural protocols into their care and viewing, and set the stage for future collaborations between the museum and family. This study explores the history of the poles and the intersecting forces that shaped their journey from Sukkwan, Alaska, to Denver, including shifting ideals of preservation, rights to cultural patrimony, and assertions of Indigenous sovereignty in Southeast Alaska. Through interviews with Lee Wallace, as well as DAM employees, this thesis situates the pole-raising ceremony within the larger and ongoing journey of the poles, as well as within pushes to decolonize or Indigenize museums.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["McCormack, Penske Stranger"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"M.A.","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Kelly Fayard","Christina Kreps","Frédérique Chevillot"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2023-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:02:30Z","subjects":["Dwight Wallace","Inalienable possessions","Indigenization","John Wallace","Kaigani Haida","Totem poles","American Art and Architecture","Arts and Humanities","History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology","Museum Studies","Native American Studies","Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
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