Baranov Totem Pole

This totem pole in downtown Sitka carries a quiet jab buried in its carving. Sitka was the capital of Russian America, and its central figure represents Alexander Baranov, the first Russian colonial governor, who fought the Tlingit people here in eighteen oh four and later made an uneasy peace. The pole was designed by a Tlingit man named George Benson in the early nineteen forties and carved in Wrangell by workers of the Civilian Conservation Corps.

When it came back, many noticed the Baranov figure appeared to be naked. Some say the original design had him clothed, and the change was a deliberate way to embarrass the old Russian governor. Whether the slight was intended or not, it earned the nickname a shame pole, and it has stood as one of Sitka's most talked about landmarks ever since.