13 Jun Totem Origin

Totem Origins:

Spring 1946, Merced County, California.

There was a significant sense of prosperity for many in the years following WWII.

In the US, War Production efforts had eliminated unemployment, and wartime savings ignited a new wave of consumerism. Even for farming families, the post-war boom had shown rural lifestyles rising to levels nearly equal to urban living.

Despite the optimism, this period also sowed the seeds of future challenges. For farmers, the initial prosperity quickly turned to overproduction in the 1950’s. This caused commodity prices to drop, which created financial difficulties for smaller farm operations.

One such farm was the Pyle Peanut Farm:

April 17, 1946.

“Oil Crops for Victory!” Read the sign at the entrance to the farm. And even though the war was over, William and Mary were still proud of what that sign stood for. It was a badge of honour for them, commemorating 6 great years of oil production for the war effort and the start of another growing season.

Yet, beneath the joy and pride, they were still cautious about their future. But in the meantime, they kept doing what they have always done, focusing on production and their promise to grow top-quality peanuts for fuel.
And so, daily operation continued as usual. Mary was in the barn, prepping shipments of product to the processing plant, and William was out on his tractor tending to the fields.

Today was a different sort for William, though. He was digging drainage ditches in the fields to the south, trying to keep that area productive. And as William’s tractor maneuvered through the mud, his rear scraper blade gouged a trough in the soil behind him, an attempt to direct the water from the area.

Just then, the tractor suddenly jolted to a stop, throwing William forward against the steering wheel. He cut the engine and climbed down to take a look.

It wasn’t a rock, but something else. Something strange. Whatever it was, it was large and deeply embedded in the soil. This wasn’t going to be easy.

After a few hours, William finally freed it from the mud. It looked like a large surfboard, or an unfinished canoe that hadn’t been hollowed out yet. Its surface was rough and worn, scarred by time, with thin cracks running along its length. It looked ancient, but sleek and modern at the same time.

William thought it might be a Totem pole, so he stood it upright, walking around it to study it from every side. One odd thing he noticed was that it remained balanced in the mud, reminding him of a spinning top, as if some hidden gyroscopic force held it upright.

Mary could see William from the barn, and his newly found object. She walked over to see what was happening. As she approached, William spoke, “What do you make of this my love?”

“Not sure”, Mary said, “Looks like a small plane without any wings.”

“Might be an important ancient artefact, like a totem pole or something, I was gonna take it to the local Archives.”

Mary looked concerned, “hmm, last thing we need are people with clipboards asking us questions and poking their noses around here… best we hide that Totem in the barn.”

William agreed, and they dragged into the cowshed, draping an old canvas tent over the top of it. Over the next few days, they noticed the cows wouldn’t leave the shed. They were attracted to Totem, so William decided to raise it into the hayloft, which seems to have worked.

Over the next few summers, the peanut industry began to struggle, causing financial strain. The market was driving the price down, and even though they expanded their operation, their income was becoming dangerously thin. The tractor also needed to be replaced, which was worsening the problem.

In a moment of desperation, William pulled the Totem down from the hayloft and took it to the local Flea Market, thinking it would blend in well with the other antiques there, maybe to catch someone’s eye.

Then one early Saturday morning, he met a man named Cornelius, a wealthy art collector with an eye for rare finds. Cornelius was travelling to Canada with his young family and was always on the lookout for unique treasures along the way. The Totem immediately piqued his interest.

He approached William to negotiate a deal. William told the collector that he had a contact at the Berkeley Natural History Museum who would be coming out to see it in the next few weeks, but if given a good offer, he would part with it now.

Cornelius pushed a large stack of bills into William’s hand, ‘$2000 is my only offer’ he said firmly. William, trying to remain calm, replied casually, “A pleasure doing business with you.”

Little did William know that the Totem was embarking on a new adventure, leaving behind the dusty fields of Merced County, California.

~CJ~