"I have long had a passionate appreciation for the artistic achievements
of indigenous people, and none more so than the magnificent totem poles
carved by the native inhabitants of the northwest Pacific coast. These exquisite
abstract sculptures in wood represent for me the pinnacle of indigenous art.
  They are as beautiful and powerful as anything created by Picasso or Matisse.
  Unfortunately, the few old poles that remain in their natural settings are
decaying and returning to the forest."
 Robert Bateman