Jim Hart – Totem olympique

This totem is the work of a Canadian Amerindian artist, Chief Haida, who descends from a long line of sculptors. A traditional welcome symbol, it is meant to connect us with the world of spirits. Its animal figures refer to incarnations of basic principles, like the door in the bear’s belly which symbolises birth and security. But it also refers to more prosaic realities, like the salmon which for centuries was an essential food source for Indians.