The object I have chosen is a Yadas crest pole along the Totem Pole trail in Sitka National Historical

Park. Totem poles are historical artefacts created by First Nations of the Pacific Northwest to
represent ancestry, history, people or events. The Yaadas Crest Pole is a symbol of the diverse
knowledge woven across indigenous communities, representing customs, ancestors' wisdom, and
the distinct modes of knowing that have kept these civilizations alive for many generations. The
elaborate engravings and symbolic meanings adorning the pole function as a pictorial account,
demonstrating the conservation of unique knowledge systems that are unique to the local
indigenous populations, which hints towards the IA prompt suggesting that knowledge systems are
different between modern and indigenous societies and it is often hard for people on either side to
grasp the knowledge system of the other. The seemingly confusing curvature in the Totem pole may
appear confusing at first but the curvature has ancestral knowledge attached. The presence of real
or mythological beasts carved into a Totem pole is a sort of identification with the lineage of the
head of a household. The creature is exhibited as a kind of family seal. An Englishman may have a
lion on his crest or a rancher a bull on his brand. The Sitka National Historical Park's Yaadas Crest
Pole, located along the totem pole trail, effectively emphasises the IA prompt by demonstrating how
intricately layered knowledge that has been passed down through the generations is inextricably
linked to Alaska's indigenous communities. This affirms the cultural exclusivity and profound
heritage embedded within this enormous work of art. The historical context surrounding the
creation of the Yadaas crest pole supports its contribution to the exhibition. The totems are usually
produced by chiefs of certain clans as a way to show lineage which further supports the IA claim in
that some knowledge only belongs to particular communities of knowers. In the case of the totem,
the significance of each curve on the Totem may only be known to the heads of families and
members of a specific lineage.