Wash. carver’s totem pole heading to Smithsonian

KINGSTON, Wash. (AP) — A Kingston carver’s totem pole is heading to the nation’s capital.

The Kitsap Sun reports that (http://bit.ly/yDqa8K) the Smithsonian Institution has commissioned David Boxley to carve a 22-foot-tall totem pole that will be installed at the National Museum of the American Indian.

Boxley is finishing his 3,000 pound totem this week, and then it will be shipped cross country.

Although his creations have been featured at Disney World, the Microsoft campus and other places, Boxley says having one of his totem poles in the nation’s capital is a dream come true.

Boxley is originally from Metlakatla, Alaska, where many of his 70 totems are installed. He says the installation at the museum is an honor for his kin, the Tsimshian people of southeast Alaska.

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Information from: Kitsap Sun, http://www.kitsapsun.com/