On July 28th I was sent on a quest by fellow Kiwi blogger, Gallivanta from Silkannthreades. A totem pole quest.
For real?
Yep.
She dedicated a post to me in honor of the release of my third book, Nola Fran Evie. But the dedication came with a proviso…I had to locate a totem pole by Chief Lelooska somewhere in Portland.
The only clue Gallivanta provided was that a replica of the totem pole stood 7,000 miles away in Christchurch Airport, New Zealand. (Who knew?!)
And so I began my quest.
HE WHO CUTS WOOD
Like any modern-day hero, I used my trusty compass, the Internet, to search for the totem pole. I wore a smug look on my face as I let Google do the work for me from the comfort of my home.
But, I couldn’t find its exact location.
However, I did step into the world of Chief Don “Lelooska” Smith, a great man who was given a great name at the age of 12—“He Who Cuts Against Wood with a Knife”.
And cut against wood with a knife is what he did…all his life in beautiful Oregon. The man carved thousands of masks and over a hundred totem poles, including the one I was hunting with the replica in New Zealand, until he died of cancer in 1996.
So, what’s with the New Zealand connection?
During the 1959 Oregon Centennial Exposition, the intricate pole was carved from cedar to honor Oregonian soldiers who participated in Operation Deep Freeze, a famous multinational series of exploratory missions to Antarctica during the late 1950s.
The base for Operation Deep Freeze was Christchurch Airport.
(And, you silly things never thought you’d learn anything on this blog.)
I was frustrated that I couldn’t find where the totem pole was today in Oregon and began to think that I was failing my mission. As I’m not the quitting type, I kept digging and digging and digging online, which eventually led me to…
THE OREGON ZOO???
Aha! I found you, Totem Pole!
Ecstatic, I called the zoo to plan my heroic visit. After weeks of online research I imagined staring proudly at the totem pole, and how I would gleefully show Gallivanta that I had completed the totem pole challenge in less than a month.
But…the totem pole wasn’t there.
I panicked. Surely the zoo didn’t get rid of this exceptional piece of tribal artistry that had been living there for decades. Surely not!
I talked to one person, then another person, and yet another person until I found Wayne, the mighty project engineer. He said…
THE TOTEM POLE’S IN THE SHOP
Last year the Oregon Zoo began a major transformation to create the Condors of Columbia, which opened in May, and Elephant Lands, a project I’m very excited about which is opening in 2015. This expansion will quadruple the space the elephants inhabit, drawing on more than fifty years of research and science-based care to build a natural environment to honor the animals.
Come on, who doesn’t love elephants?!
During this time, the pole underwent a hefty restoration process—repairing cracks and rot, as well as painting, cleaning and detailing the carving. It was an intense team effort led by Lelooska’s brother, Chief Fearon “Tsungani” Smith, assisted by zoo volunteers, and overseen by the Lelooska Foundation.
This totem pole’s kind of a big deal.
Wayne and the Oregon Zoo were excited to hear about my totem pole quest and were generous to bring my husband, Mr. H, and I to the zoo when the totem pole was back in action.
It was finally happening. Now at the end of September, I was coming to the end of my quest. I was beaming with pride, eager to see the elusive totem pole I had chased for two months.
Then, I did something so typically Britt…
I BOTCHED IT
I went on the wrong day, before the pole was resurrected.
Good one, Britt!
I know, I know. But, we made the best of it and enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the zoo.
THE OOPSY CONFESSION
The following Monday I sheepishly admitted my mistake to Wayne from the zoo. He was nice enough to pat me gently on the head and invite us back for another visit when the pole was actually there.
Then finally…
TOTEM POLE SUCCESS!!!
This is truly one of the best zoos I have ever been to and I look forward to Elephant Lands opening next year. A big thank you to Wayne and the Oregon Zoo for being so awesome during the totem pole quest.
Gallivanta, you stinker…totem pole quest COMPLETED! 🙂
Britt Skrabanek 
Fun story Britt : )
I like the way you change your header photo with your posts. Great Idea.
I love that header change for each post, too.
Thanks, honey! I can’t take too much credit for the header changing. It’s an option that comes with my theme. 🙂
That’s great you never gave up. Must’ve made finally seeing it that much more worthwhile, especially after you’d read about it and researched it. I love totem poles. We went on an Alaskan cruise a few years back. I really wanted a totem pole, but like I do with all souvenirs, I decided we didn’t need one. Now I wish I hadn’t been so practical. Of course, I would’ve had to have it shipped. Kind of difficult to pack a five-foot totem pole in my suitcase…
It was awesome to finally see it! Haha! Yes, totem poles are difficult to pack.
I think your Indian name should be: Beauty Who Never Gives Up. Yes, I like that. Great post and enjoyed learning more about Chief Don Smith
Aw, shucks…I’ll take it! He was an interesting character, for sure!
I love a happy ending!
Me too, Naomi! I live for them. 🙂
🙂
What a fun post and a fun quest by the sounds of it….glad it wasn’t me though lol. Love the photos and yes, who doesn’t love elephants, I adore them.
It was a super fun quest! Glad I completed the challenge though. Many other things to do!
Elephants are one of my favorite animals. They’re equally goofy and incredible to see.
Hey you. Nice job, and I’m really digging those goats. 🙂
Hey, thanks! Those goats are stealing my thunder, I think. 🙂
The Gruffs. Heck of a band. 🙂
What a great adventure Gallivanta had you on! So glad you finally got to see it – bravo for being so persistent!
She sent me on a good one! Each leg of the journey made me laugh my ass off, because nothing was straightforward. I believe persistence is my middle name. 🙂
Wonderful story! I’m so glad you finally got to see the completed piece. It is such an impressive sight when you first enter the zoo, isn’t it?
It really is impressive. It’s so fun to see all the kids enthralled by the totem pole. I expected them to go sprinting right past it, but they all stopped and gawked.
That’s wonderful that the kids stop and look. Mind you, as a kid I was fascinated by our totem pole, too.
Awesome, awesome, awesome. I agree with Danniehill; your name should be Beauty who never gives up. I am thrilled! Shall I repeat myself…I AM THRILLED. Thank you for taking on the quest.
Yay! I do like my new Indian name Dannie gave me. Thanks for the quest, Gallivanta! It was fun playing detective.
I mentioned your post and the quest to the Christchurch Airport media liaison officer. She was very interested. I don’t know if anything will come of it but at least the authorities will know that people do care about these lovely totem poles and the stories behind them.
The Christchurch Airport media liaison officer…wowza, that’s fancy! Thanks, love. By the way, you seem to know a lot of people. 🙂
Ha! I don’t know the media liaison officer, though. That was a cold call which turned in to a warm hearted conversation.
Gallivanta knows a great blogger when she finds one!
Aw…thanks, Cindy! Gallivanta’s one of my faves.
By the way, I love the blue beret. 🙂
Thanks, love! I’ve had it for years but I like it more with the short do. Very fun!
Ah, of course, the short do! But your avatar still has the long do, right?
I need a new avatar with the short do, I know! Waiting for Mr. H to snap the right moment.
Don’t you love the unexpected twists and turns that happen on a journey? Okay, they normally drive me crazy because I’m afraid everything will fall apart or go wrong. But everyone else should enjoy them. 🙂
I’m glad you succeeded in your quest, and I’m also happy to have learned so much about the the artist, the connection to New Zealand, and the improvements at the zoo. 🙂
I absolutely do! It’s funny that I thought I would have this quest wrapped up in a week. Then weeks went by and months went by…hello! And, the failing part is very typical for me. I thought about keeping that out of the post to make me look “cooler”. But hey, we all do goofy things, don’t we? 🙂
The goofy bits should always be part of the story!