Visitors that arrive to Juneau in port are greeted by the Shangukeidí totem pole, carved by Jackson Polys, Tlingit Master Artist. 

A group of tourists on a wooden pier take photographs of a totem pole set in front of a foggy forest background.

The Kaagwaantaan totem pole, created by carver Nicholas Galanin, Tlingit/Unangax Master Artist, depicts crests from the Kaagwaantaan tribe, including Killer Whale mounted on a clan hat, a clan member, Killer Whale, Eagle, and Bear.

A group of tourists gathered in front of a intricately pained totem pole in green and red.

Thousands of travelers to Alaska arrive by cruise ships each day and now have immediate encounters with Indigenous expressions of identity through the totem trail. The Shangukeidí totem created by Jackson Polys, Tlingit Master Artist, greets visitors. 

An intricately painted totem pole sits on a pier with a cruise ship docked alongside it.

The designs on the Yanyeidí pole include figures from tribal stories: the Eagle, two women traveling in a canoe under the Taku Glacier, Brown Bear, Wise Woman, and the Wolf. Yanyeidí Pole, created by Nicholas Galanin - Yéil Ya-Tseen. 

An intricately painted totem pole sits in front of a foggy forest background.

Yanyeidí totem pole, detail. Carved by Joseph Young, Haida tribe.

A closeup look at a totem pole with green paint around the eyes and red paint around the mouth.

Kootéeyaa Deiyí Totem Pole Project 

Ishkahíttaan totem, carved by Jon Rowan, Tlingit master artist. At the top is the Raven with the Box of Daylight, a credt of the Ishkahíttaan clan.

The top of an intricately painted totem pole set in front of a foggy forest background

L’eeneidí tribe totem, created by carver Robert Mills, Tlinglit master artist. The top design features a star, referencing one of L’eeneidí clan houses known as “Little Dipper House.”

An intricately painted totem pole set in front of a forest mountain background with light wispy clouds floating overhead

Yanyeidí totem pole, created by Joseph Young, Haida tribe master artist, connects to another totem on the trail in the distance. 

A totem pole sits in front of a backdrop of foggy, deep green, forest and mountains.

Tlingit Eagle (left) and Raven Poles remember clans that were once more present in the region, but that saw their populations depleted when disease brought by Westerners adversely impacted Native communities. Eagle Pole: Tommy Joseph, Tilingit master carver. Raven Pole: TJ Young, Haida master carver.

Two totem poles sit on either side of a staircase leading into a corporate building 

Ishkahíttaan Pole (right) by John Rowan, Tlingit master artist, stands with the Yanyeidí Pole (center) by Joseph Young, Haida master artist.

A grassy and rocky area set below green mountains with two totem poles sitting among the tall grass and bushes

Carved on all sides, the Sealaska Cultural Values Pole is the first of its kind in Alaska. It represents all three tribes of Southeast Alaska—Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian. Carved by TJ Young, Haida master artist, with assistance from carvers from each of the three tribes depicted.

A large totem pole sits in front of a building with Sealaska Heritage written over the doorway at night. The totem pole is illuminated by lights on the ground.

In spring 2023, the waterfront in Alaska’s capital city underwent a makeover. Now twelve vibrant, brand new totem poles adorn the shoreline.

Kootéeyaa Deiyí Totem Pole Project

Two totem poles dot the shoreline and point visitors to Kootéeyaa Deiyí, the Totem Pole Trail, in Juneau, Alaska.

Gif of an intricately painted totem pole in red and green set in front of a harbor with four cruise ships anchored in it

An intricately painted totem pole in red and green set in front of a harbor with four cruise ships anchored in it

Explore Kootéeyaa Deiyí, the growing totem trail on Alaska’s waterfront

Artists as Catalysts

Artists as Catalysts Navigation Image

Beyond Incarceration

A side profile of a Black poet who is wearing glasses and a hat with a feather hat pin.

Borderlands Cultures

In portrait orientation, an aerial view of a major highway running parallel to a large border wall set on a hilly landscape

Civic Engagement

A man in a brown jacket stands in front of blue bulletin board that is covered with papers and advertisements  

Evolving Higher Education

A vertical image of an Indigenous person who is sitting on a chair in front of a backdrop.

Expanding Public Knowledge

An interior room filled with audio and video equipment 

Monuments and Memory

A multicolored painted totem pole set in front of a foggy forest landscape

Multivocality

Five people stand together in a group photo. They are laughing and smiling.

Power of the Word

Five colorful neon signs hang on the wall with messages that include, "Freedom cannot wait," "Brown owned," and "America is for Dreamers."

Public Places‚ Public Stories

A group of Indigenous Maskoke people stand and sit in the wooden frame of a structure in a woods

Puerto Rico and Its Diaspora

In a vertical image, a black leather vest is adorned with colorful pins across the front of it. Embroidery on the vest reads: "Felícitas "La Prieta" Méndez" 

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