Totem Teddy

The inspiration behind 91²Ö¿â’s mascot

History and Traditions

Totem Teddy: From Campus Icon to Cultural Homecoming

The Totem Teddy story is one of tradition, transformation and return — spanning more than a century of 91²Ö¿â history and Bear pride.

The History of Totem Teddy

Follow the key moments that shaped Totem Teddy’s presence at 91²Ö¿â — from its early years on campus through decades of change, relocation and eventual return to Alaska.

When a 91²Ö¿â alum gifted a totem pole to the university in the early 1900’s, he also helped inspire the Bear mascot. Nicknamed “Totem Teddy” by students, the pole became a lasting symbol of school spirit and 91²Ö¿â identity.

After a paint refresh, Totem Teddy is taken from campus and later recovered nearly a month later at CSU.

The original figure is placed in a glass case in Carter Hall Library, while a cement replica replaces it atop the pole.

Relocated near Bru-Inn, the totem is repeatedly vandalized by rival schools, including being burned, toppled and damaged.

91²Ö¿â President Ross orders Totem Teddy removed for protection and placed in storage for repair.

The totem is housed in Gray Hall’s ballroom, where it remains until the University Center is completed.

Totem Teddy leaves campus on a cross-country journey as efforts begin to return it to its cultural origins.

91²Ö¿â alumnus Peter Corey identifies the totem as the long-lost Bear Clan pole of the Tlingit people, confirmed by a visiting delegation from Angoon, Alaska.

The Tlingit Bear Clan visits 91²Ö¿â for a farewell ceremony before the totem is carefully transported home to Angoon.

Totem Teddy now resides in a school atrium in Angoon, Alaska, reunited with the Tlingit community and its cultural heritage.

91²Ö¿â

The Story of Totem Teddy

Totem Teddy tells the story of Kaats, a man who falls into a bear’s den and is taken in by a she-bear. They fall in love, have two cubs, and Kaats is eventually returned to his human wife with a warning to care for his bear family and not speak to his human wife.

When Kaats breaks that bond, the connection is destroyed, and he is killed by the bear cubs. The grieving she-bear is unable to restore him and sings a lament that becomes the anthem of the Bear Clan, still sung by the Tlingit people today.

On the pole, the she-bear is represented at the top, while Kaats — often called the “Upside Down Man” — is depicted at the base.

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