Re: “Unfortunately, totem poles eventually rot,” letter, Aug. 16.
Several years ago, my wife and I had the great fortune to visit Haida Gwaii. While there, we toured the site of a Haida village, where the longhouses and totems once stood.
When we commented that it was not as once depicted by Emily Carr, our guide said that the Haida carvers did not preserve their work, but meant it to return to the earth, as we all must eventually do.
Allen Gasser
Saanichton
