Panora Totem
Panora, Iowa
This is a totem carved from a smaller elm, just off Lake Panorama near Panora, Iowa. The wings are attached, but also out of elm. In dicussing this with the customer, I suggested making the subjects more "contemporary" so that they are recognizable to most of us. In looking at the old, traditional totems that the northwest Indians carved, most of us don't recognize the subjects. I felt that the completely traditional totem wouldn't be as enjoyable to my customers.
Here we have a bear with a fish on the bottom, then a man, a fox, a turtle, and the traditional "thunderbird" on top. It is twelve feet tall, and the wings are six feet wide