Authentic Native American Hand-Carved Totem Pole Bear Symbol

Description

This is such an amazing and proud piece of Native American Culture & History! It is put together in 3 separate segments.. each with hand carved & painted wood pieces with rabbit fur separating each. Due to the age, (we are assuming based on multiple factors to be over 100 years old) some fur is beginning to deteriorate and will need to be treated to prevent further breaking down.
The bottom has leather (animal hide) nailed to the bottom And stands about 19” tall. The 2nd segment is about 12” and encases a carved in (artist signature?) Bear paw symbol as well as an image of a painted tribal bear. Finally, the top is carved & painted into a bear claw.. with another symbol painted that matches the one carved below.. bringing the entire totem to a height of almost 4’ tall.
INFORMATION ON OUR NATIVE AMERICAN PIECES:
**Almost all are Hand Crafted or were collected by North Woods Native American Couple of the Menominee Culture in Northern WI who passed away awhile back. They didn’t have access to many resources (still used wood-burning stoves for cooking & heat) - and clearly had a large appreciation for preserving their culture through collecting & making handmade, traditional tribal pieces. The property recently sold, and new owner sold all their beautiful hand made crafts & collections.
Due to the location that they were found and based on the comparison of the colors and patterns…We presume most of it to be Menominee tribal affiliation or from another northern woodland tribe. The age does varies in these pieces. Some pieces of the artwork show to be around 50 years old, created in the early 70s… but a majority of the pieces show direct evidence of being 100-150 years of age .. some potentially being older.
This item , along with most of our other Native American collectibles on our store, where acquired from that source. We purchased as much as we could to do our part to preserve the culture by making sure it would be passed on to collectors who will value, appreciate, and do their part to preserve these historic pieces .
We do our best to date & authenticate items by using our experience, meticulous web searches, assistance from friends affiliated with local tribes, and information groups online. If we missed something or if you have more information about a piece, we would LOVE to know! :)
Before you purchase, Please keep in mind.. that because of the age, many items in our Native American collection do show signs of age & wear. We do our best to depict it in the description- but please refer to the photos for specifics.
Thank you!
SOLD AS IS, All items are sold as is, so please be sure to check photos, read descriptions, and ask questions!**