Joseph Raymond Hillaire, or Kwul-kwul'tw, (1894–1967) was an Lummi artist known for his carved totem poles in the style of the Coast Salish peoples. Hillaire was also a storyteller, performer, and activist, bringing attention to Native culture, and fostering cross-cultural communication and understanding.

In 1961, Hillaire was commissioned to create two story poles for the Seattle Worlds Fair (Century 21 Exposition), one to tour the U.S. to promote the Fair, and one for Kobe, Japan, Seattle’s sister city. The pole created for Kobe tells the story of two figures, representing Seattle and Kobe, who grow closer by acknowledging the things they share, like the sea between them and the rising and setting sun, with hope for peace and cooperation between them in spite of the dark cloud of war.

Here, Joseph Hillaire, or Kwul-kwul’tw (Spirit of the War Club) uses a hand adze to work on the 31-foot cedar log that will become the story pole for Kobe, Japan. He would carve the pole in Pioneer Square until the end of Seafair, then travel to Kobe in October 1961 to finish the pole during Kobe’s Port Festival, and present it in a dedication ceremony as a gift from the people of Seattle to the people of Kobe.

Caption information source: “Lummi Indian Chief carving modern legend on totem pole” by Jack Jarvis, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 6, 1961, p. 61.
Caption information source: “Joseph Hillaire: Carver of the Kobe-Seattle Sister City Friendship Pole” by Cluebbe, August 8, 2012, Seattle Art Museum blog, retrieved at https://samblog.seattleartmuseum.org/2012/08/joseph-hillaire-carver-of-the-kobe-seattle-sister-city-friendship-pole/