Makah artist continues family legacy with restoration of totem pole in Port Orchard

Peiyu Lin, Kitsap Sun
Updated ·3 min read
With his wife Lurita smiling beside him Bill Martin Jr., left, points to an area of the totem pole as he talks about the restoration work with Port Orchard Public Works’s Jonathan Hubbard, right, after Hubbard and fellow crew members put the restored totem pole back into place at the end of Sidney Ave. on the waterfront in Port Orchard on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. Martin, a member of the Makah Tribe in Neah Bay, is the grandson of the original carver of the totem pole Frank Smith.

PORT ORCHARD — Thirty-four years after the wood totem pole at the waterfront of Port Orchard was carved by Frank Smith of the Makah Tribe in 1989, his grandson, Bill Martin Jr., continued his legacy by restoring the pole to its original color and shape.

At around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, the refurbished pole was re-raised at the end of Sidney Avenue, next to the foot ferry terminal. The city removed the pole in early June and delivered it to Martin's home in Neah Bay for eight weeks of repairs. The artist finished the restoration in mid-August and the pole was sent back to the city. The city launched a short ceremony to commemorate the occasion when the pole was reinstalled.

Martin and his wife Lurita visited from Neah Bay to witness the reinstallation. Seeing the refurbished pole being raised made Martin feel good, he said.

"I liked it," Martin said. "We enjoyed working for the City of Port Orchard and the reinstallation. It's perfect."

Port Orchard Public Works’s Tom Lovely guides the wings of the totem pole into position as a crew reinstalls the newly restored totem pole at the end of Sidney Ave. on the waterfront on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
Port Orchard Public Works’s Tom Lovely guides the wings of the totem pole into position as a crew reinstalls the newly restored totem pole at the end of Sidney Ave. on the waterfront on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.

The restoration and reinstallation of the totem pole, including the delivery fee between the city and Neah Bay, cost nearly $8,500, according to Jacki Brown, the city's utility manager.

The construction to reraise the totem pole drew some attention from those who passed by the waterfront that day. The totem pole was erected and dedicated in 1989 to Gerald Grosso, a longtime community member, Port Orchard civic leader and Bremerton Sun journalist, who became involved with the Makah Tribe through his reporting on archeological digs and preservation of artifacts.

Bremerton residents Robert Wagner and his daughter, Stephanie, who had lived in Port Orchard for 27 years, saw the totem pole when they got off the foot ferry to visit a family member in town.

Stephanie and Robert remembered the pole was very "old-looking" for many years. Now, the pole looks brand new again, they said.

"It's all nicely painted," Robert said.

"It's beautiful," Stephanie added.

Regarding the repair process, Martin said he sanded off all the old paint. Wherever there was a section of the pole that had wood rot, he cut it off, put in a new block of wood, reshaped it, and painted it again. The artist learned the skills from his experience restoring other artwork.

"I even took some of the carvings that were shallow and I made them a little deeper, so they would last longer," Martin said. "I hope it lasts a long time."

A Port Orchard Public Works crew moves the newly restored totem pole from a trailer to its position on the waterfront at the end of Sidney Ave. in Port Orchard on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
A Port Orchard Public Works crew moves the newly restored totem pole from a trailer to its position on the waterfront at the end of Sidney Ave. in Port Orchard on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.

Three generations of craftsmen

This wasn't the first time the totem pole was restored. In 2006, Frank Smith's son, also Martin's uncle, Henry Smith, did the first restoration. Martin's recent work means the maintenance of the totem pole has been completed by three generations of the Makah Tribe family.

Martin is an artist who creates a variety of artwork from wood carving to stained glass and silver. He started to learn wood carving from his grandfather when he was 13, Martin said. When Frank was carving the Sidney Avenue totem pole, Martin was there to help.

Thirty-four years later, Martin's son, Logan, assisted him in restoring Frank's work.

Colored in black, white, red, grey and green, the 23-foot-long totem pole is made up of a thunderbird on the top, a whale in the middle, and a man wearing a bear skin robe at the bottom.

Martin said his grandfather came up with the idea to design the totem pole from an ancient tribal story, in which a man went into the woods and had a vision of the thunderbird catching a whale and delivering it to the hungry people in the tribe.

Bill Martin Jr., back, looks on as Port Orchard Public Works’s John Harmon helps guide the totem pole as it is lifted from a trailer to be put back into its position at the end of Sidney Ave. at the waterfront in Port Orchard on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. Martin’s grandfather - Frank Smith. - was the original carver of the pole.
Bill Martin Jr., back, looks on as Port Orchard Public Works’s John Harmon helps guide the totem pole as it is lifted from a trailer to be put back into its position at the end of Sidney Ave. at the waterfront in Port Orchard on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. Martin’s grandfather - Frank Smith. - was the original carver of the pole.

Corrections and clarifications: This story has been updated to include a reference to Gerald Grosso, the man the totem pole is dedicated to.

Reporter Peiyu Lin covers the military and South Kitsap for the Kitsap Sun. She can be reached pei-yu.lin@kitsapsun.com or on Twitter @peiyulintw.

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This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Three generations of Makah Tribe legacy in Port Orchard totem pole