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Sep 9, 2024 · Totem pole, carved and painted log, mounted vertically, constructed by the Native Americans of the Northwest Coast of the United States and Canada. There are seven principal kinds of totem poles: memorial poles, grave markers, house posts, portal poles, welcoming poles, mortuary poles, and ridicule poles.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Totem poles are the largest, but not the only, objects that coastal Pacific Northwest natives use to depict spiritual reverence, family legends, sacred beings and culturally important animals, people, or historical events.
- What Are Totem Poles?
- Pole Types
- Carving A Pole
- Cultural Styles
- Socio-Cultural Importance of Totem Poles
- Recommended Resources
- Endnotes
Totem poles are monuments created by First Nations of the Pacific Northwest to represent and commemorate ancestry, histories, people, or events. Totem poles are typically created out of red cedar, a malleable wood relatively abundant in the Pacific Northwest, and would be erected to be visible within a community. Most totem poles display beings, or...
Most totem poles stand between 3 to 18 metres tall, although some can reach over 20 metres in height.3 Different types of totem poles are erected to serve various architectural and ceremonial purposes. Most longhouses had house posts, carved with human or animal forms, to support the main beams of the building. Similarly, some longhouses featured a...
Carving a totem pole requires not only artistic skill, but an intimate understanding of cultural histories and forest ecology. Most totem poles are made from Western red cedar, a rot-resistant tree that is straight-grained and easy to carve.7 Before a cedar tree is harvested for a totem pole, many coastal First Nations communities will perform a ce...
The cultural variations of totem pole styles are complex and go beyond the purview of this section, but a few generalizations can be made about regional characteristics. The Coast Salish of the Lower Fraser tended to carve house posts rather than single stand-alone poles. These house posts would frequently appear on the interiors of longhouses. In ...
From their earliest origins to today, totem poles hold a significant socio-cultural role in many First Nations communities. Most First Nations commemorate the raising of a totem with a totem pole raising ceremony, which is often held concurrently with a feast or potlatch. Please click here for a video of a totem pole raising ceremony at the Univers...
Online resources Totem Pole Raising Ceremony – University of Alaska Southeast http://vimeo.com/11303883 Totem Poles – National Film Board http://www.nfb.ca/explore-by/keyword/en/totem_poles/ Totem Pole Photos – SFU Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology https://www.sfu.ca/archaeology/museum/exhibits/virtual-exhibits/northwest-coast-totem-poles.html To...
1 Marjorie M. Halpin, Totem Poles: An Illustrated Guide(Vancouver: UBC Press, 1981), 16. 2 Edward Malin, Totem Poles of the Pacific North Coast(Portland: Timber Press, 1986), 45-51. 3 Halpin, 23. 4 William Yardley, “Recovery Still Incomplete After Valdez Spill,” The New York Times (New York, NY), May 5, 2010. 5 Halpin, 24. 6 Halpin, 23. 7 Hilary St...
Jun 11, 2018 · totem pole Carved and painted wooden column erected by the Native Americans of the Pacific Coast of the USA and Canada. They are carved with stylized representations of real and mythical animals and men. Their function is closer to that of heraldic crests than of religious symbols.
Totem poles are a powerful expression of cultural identity for Indigenous peoples from the Pacific Northwest, as they incorporate symbols and figures that represent clan lineage, spiritual beliefs, and significant historical events.
Totem poles are sculptures carved from large trees, such as the Western Red Cedar. In North America, totem poles are part of the cultures of many indigenous people – the people who first lived in America before Europeans arrived a few hundred years ago.
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Totem poles are monumental carvings made from large trees, primarily by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. These intricate structures serve as cultural symbols and tell stories, representing clan lineage, ancestral spirits, and important events in a community's history.
