The new Duwamish story pole was installed at Admiral Viewpoint last week and the totem pole that stood there the past 40 years has been moved to the Log House Museum at Alki.

A dedication ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11. City officials and Duwamish Tribe members are scheduled to attend. The story pole is located at about 3600 S.W. Admiral Way.

The new 25-foot story pole is more authentic than the totem pole that previously stood at the overlook. The new vertical woodcarving was done in the tradition of the Duwamish Indians, who lived where Seattle stands today. It was carved by Michael Halady, a fifth-generation descendent of Chief Seattle. He lives and works in Port Orchard.

The previous totem pole is a replica of a pole carved in 1901 by either Bella Coola or Haida Indians from the coastal parts of British Columbia. Two Boeing engineers, Michael D. Morgan and Robert R, Fleischman, carved it in 1966.

Besides, carpenter ants had nibbled away much of the old totem pole.

Duwamish people did not carve totem poles, Halady said. They carved shorter, but more functional, house posts. Besides telling stories, the carvings held up part of the longhouse at the same time.

Don't be surprised to see the new story pole is not colorfully painted like the old totem pole. The new pole was treated with a clear liquid so only the carvings themselves convey the story.

The story pole has five basic symbols. Starting at the bottom is a welcoming figure representing the hospitality and friendliness of the Duwamish people toward the Denny party and other white pioneers who followed.

Above the bottom figure are the stern, mast and square-rigged sails of the schooner Exact, which brought the Denny party to Alki in 1852. Interestingly, the vessel is carved to appear as though it is leaving rather than arriving.

Next up the story pole are three faces representing the Duwamish Tribe. They taught the white settlers how to survive the damp chill and to catch and prepare seafood.

The seated figure wearing the conical hat is Chief Seattle, leader of two tribes at once and a diplomat with foresight. The bird wings that sprout near the top of the pole are of a Salish thunderbird signifying Chief Seattle's power.

The story pole was made from a western red cedar tree trunk that was struck by lightning at some point in its five-century life span. Estimated at 450 to 550 years old, the tree was poached from Olympic National Park.

The log was split lengthwise and hollowed out. It is fastened to a square-sided metal pole that's screwed onto a disk-shape concrete foundation. Mostly hidden, the metal pole extends as high as the story pole but is partially enclosed by the wood of the cedar trunk.

Tim St. Clair can be contacted at tstclair@robinsonnews.com or 932-0300.