You have questions (or at least, suppositions), I have a digital camera.

“I’m pretty sure it’s either been replaced or repainted or something…” says our own Officer Gleason.

The plaque at the base of the totem pole reads:

Kwanusila, the Thunderbird, is an authentic Kwagulth Indian totem pole, carved in Red Cedar by Tony Hunt of Fort Rupert, British Columbia.

The crests carved upon the totem pole represent Kwanusila, the Thunderbird, a whale with a man on its back, and a sea monster.

Kwanusila is an exact replica of the original Kraft Lincoln Park totem pole, which was donated to the City of Chicago by James L. Kraft on June 20, 1929, and which stood on the spot until October 9, 1985.

Kwanusila is dedicated to the school children of Chicago, and was presented to the City of Chicago by Kraft, Inc. on May 21, 1986.

The original totem pole was returned to the Haida people in 1985, in much the same way as the Field Museum returned the remains of 150 Haida in 2003.

And what’s up with the complusive coin tossing? I suppose a totem pole makes more sense as a good luck symbol than a mall fountain, but c’mon people, it’s the 21st century.

More photos below the jump…