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solidly to the new pole and forced into the ground in such a way as to hold 
it steady while the cement was setting; otherwise wind-shake would have 
stirred the pole enough to prevent the cement setting in close contact with 
the wood, a condition that would have allowed the infiltration of water. 
The new pole, before being laid in the old one, was treated very tho- 
roughly with creosote. The cement foundation came close to, but not 
actually up to, the ground-level and the old pole was supported about an 
inch above the foundation. This space of an inch was filled with a water- 
proof, plastic gum which neither hardens when cold nor runs when hot. 
The gum was bevelled off where it came in contact with the cement founda- 
tion in such a way as to throw off any rain water that trickled down the 
pole, and the surface of the foundation was levelled off even with the 
ground and covered with gravel or sod to match the surroundings. 
The old pole was painted with warm, double-boiled linseed oil. It is 
possible that raw linseed oil would have been better, but it dries so much 
more slowly that the time lost in waiting seemed too great a price to pay 
for the slight extra advantage. When the oil had dried, and any surplus 
had been removed to prevent a glossy appearance, the pole was painted. 
Difficulty was encountered here, as the old colours had almost entirely 
vanished, and the Indians themselves were in great doubt as to what 
colour should be used in certain parts of the carvings. The final decision 
was always left to the Indians, and the old native colours were approximated 
as closely as possible. The poles, when re-erected and repainted, looked 
somewhat crude and glaring, but experience has already shown that the 
colours are rapidly softened by weathering and there is no doubt that the 
treatment has been of very material assistance in prolonging the existence 
of the poles. 
The top of the pole, and all projecting parts well above eye-level were 
capped with plastic gum to prevent the penetration of rain water, and on 
top of the pole the plastic gum was further covered with a sheet of canvas 
and a second layer of plastic gum. The application of double-boiled 
linseed oil darkens the pole slightly, but this may be overcome by adding 
to the oil a small quantity of light earth colour, sufficient to counteract 
the darkening effect of the oil. Experiments have to be made to determine 
the correct amount to use. 
In some cases the poles were found to have decayed beyond the point 
at which they could safely be re-erected. In such a case the pole was laid 
on cross-timbers, treated to a very thorough oiling and held together as 
firmly as possible with bands of strap iron. The pole was protected from 
the weather by the erection of a long pent-house over it with a railing to 
keep out intruders. 
It should be noted that the native colours were never pure. They 
were confined largely to red and black, though white and yellow were also 
used to a less extent, and occasionally a blue. The colours were generally 
made by calcining rock. The black paint made from charcoal was, appar- 
ently, not used by the natives on totem poles. The red has a large propor- 
tion of black in it due to the presence of impurities, and the black has a 
decided reddish cast for the same reason. The “Indian Red” of commerce 
is far from being the colour here discussed, the “Garnet Brown” of Ridgway 
being a closer approximation. 
