Totem Pole of Friendship

At the entrance to Christchurch International Airport, the Totem Pole of Friendship stands tall.

This striking Native American totem was gifted to Christchurch as a heartfelt thank you for the warmth and hospitality shown to personnel involved in Operation Deep Freeze - a series of United States Navy Antarctic expeditions that ran from 1955 to 1998. During those decades, Christchurch became an essential gateway to Antarctica, supporting efforts to expand knowledge of the continent’s weather, oceans, glaciers, and wildlife.

The totem was presented by the Oregon Centennial Commission and the Portland Zoological Society. At nine metres high, it is a smaller version of a companion totem that stands in the zoological gardens in Portland, Oregon.

Carved in 1959 from a single cedar tree by Chief Lelooska, the totem is rich in symbolism. Each figure stacked upon it tells part of the Antarctic story. At the top sits the Thunderbird, honouring the airmen who made the first supply drop at the South Pole in October 1956. Below it, the killer whale recognises the mariners who opened the sea lanes to Antarctica. The eagle represents the United States, while the grizzly bear (the toughest animal in Native American lore) symbolises pioneers and perseverance. Near the base, the beaver, Oregon’s state animal, completes the story.

It originally stood in Little Hagley Park, then in 1980 it was moved to the airport, where it now greets travellers arriving and departing.  A fitting place for a monument born from international cooperation when our city became a welcoming gateway to the frozen continent at the bottom of the world.