Item a021649 - Crew and log at the old UBC carving shed

Item is a b&w negative of a photograph documenting the final stage of log preparation for the creation of the Native Education Centre pole by Norman Tait and crew. The apprentices are working on making their finishing tools—small single-handed adzes and an assortment of curved knives. The finishing stage was jokingly referred to as “going to the dentist” because most of the figures were getting their teeth worked on. This means that the faces have already been roughed out and sculpted; now the carvers are using their knives to cut teeth, outline nostrils and eyelids, etc. This stage also includes raising the pole; while Norman and crew do the physical part of pulling up the pole, hosting the pole raising (which means proper ceremony and gift-giving) is the responsibility of the owner of the pole (in this case, the Native Education Centre who made t-shirts for the event and handed out fruit afterwards).The textual info is in WHERE THE PEOPLE GATHER or paperback TOTEM POLE CARVING

Geographic Location: UBC Carving Shed