Why totem poles were used

In general, however, poles are skilfully carved of red cedar and are usually painted black, red, blue, blue-green and sometimes white and yellow. While paint was not used much in the past as part of the design, it is commonly used today. Poles vary in size, but house front poles can be over one metre in width at the base, reaching heights of over 20 m and generally facing the shores of rivers or the ocean.

Animal images on totem poles depict creatures from family crests. These crests are considered the property of specific family lineages and reflect the history of that lineage.

Animals commonly represented on the crests include the beaver , bear , wolf , shark , killer whale , raven , eagle , frog and mosquito. Some poles also feature supernatural beings or humans, each with their own particular importance and significance to the nation or individual who commissioned it and to the person who carved it.

The cultural appropriation of totem poles by Europeans over the years has created and popularized the false idea that poles display social hierarchy, with the chief at the top and the commoners at the bottom.

In fact, depictions of people are not usually found at the top of a totem pole and in some cases, the most important figure or crest is at the bottom. There are various types of poles, each with their own purpose and function. Some, for example, are specific to death and burial practices.

Memorial poles are erected in memory of a deceased chief or high-ranking member. Mortuary poles also honour the deceased. Haida mortuary poles include a box at the top where the ashes of the chief or high-ranking member are placed. Some poles are used to depict families and lineages. House posts, placed along the rear or front walls of a house, are poles that, on the one hand, help to support the roof beams and, on the other hand, tell about family lineages. Similarly, house front or portal poles are monuments at the entrance of a home that describe family history.

Welcoming poles do what their name suggests — welcome visitors. First Nations sometimes erect poles as a means of greeting important arriving guests during a feast or potlatch. The Hupacasath First Nation has well-known welcome figures on its territory. With arms outstretched, the figures carved into the poles welcome and guide the guests during their travels. An appointed speaker announces the names of visitors from behind the post. In a sense, this allows the ancestors, speaking through the appointed speaker, to also welcome the guests.

Legacy poles commemorate important and historic events. In , the Haida erected a legacy pole as a way of commemorating the signing of the Gwaii Haanas Agreement , a groundbreaking document between the Haida and the Government of Canada that sets out the government-to-government and management relationship for Gwaii Haanas.

Carver Jaalen Edenshaw supervised and worked on the legacy pole, which became the first monumental pole raised in the protected Gwaii Haanas territory in over years. Poles can also be used as a means of healing and education. A residential school survivor, Joseph wanted to express his emotions about those painful years, while also working towards reconciliation.

Similarly, artist and residential school survivor Isadore Charters has shared his personal story with young people through a totem pole project. They validated the powerful rights and privileges that the family held. Locations of Totem Poles The locations of totem poles vary. Some stand in front of the houses, or very near them; others posts are set near the waterfront or beach, beyond the village. For additional, interesting info refer to How to make a Totem Pole. Symbols on Totem Poles Totem Poles are created using Pictography, or writing with pictures and symbols.

Totem poles have unique features and colors depending upon the clan or tribe. Their interpretation requires knowledge of the customs, traditions and history of the clan or family.

Every color used on the Poles have meanings as do the figures carved on the Totem Poles. The Symbols for every animal or spirit carved on the pole also have meaning and when combined on the pole, in sequence, constitute a story, legend or myth. Thunderbird Totem Pole. Meaning of Totem Poles - Carvings and Symbols The meaning of Totem Poles can be interpreted from the carvings and symbols that tell a story.

The Decay of Totem Poles As totem poles become old they decay and become weather-beaten and gray in color.

Groups of old poles are sometimes compared to a forest of tree trunks left after a fire has swept through a wooded district. Creating Totem Poles - How long did it take? The length of time taken to carve and paint the poles clearly depended on the size of the pole and the intricacy of the carving. Generally totem poles could take between 3 and 9 months to complete and required the skills of the experienced carver and his helpers. Pictures and Videos of Native Americans Discover the vast selection of pictures which relate to the History of Native Americans and illustrate many decorations and tattoos used by American Indians.

John dosnt like this site Jul 25, Jul 26, Apr 6, What does the thunderbird mean in a totem pole? Apr 7, Apr 25, I mean as in, what does a thunderbird mean in an Alaskan totem pole? A person Mar 30, Kinda funny how "wonderpolis" never directly answers any questions. Apr 28, I am doing a project on totem poles any ideas? Mar 23, Mar 17, We're glad you liked this Wonder!

Thanks for stopping by! Emma Feb 1, Hello, I would like to site to this article. Could I please have the information to reference this. Author,place of publication, date of publication, publisher. Thank you, hope to hear from you soon. Feb 2, Jan 22, Sounds yummy, yareli! What kind of cake it your favorite? We think cake is delicious, too, kaleena!

We hope you learned something new about totem poles while visiting! Jan 21, Hi, kaleena! Thanks for joining the conversation, yareli! We're glad you stopped by Wonderopolis! Max Nov 20, How can know the date update, and the author of this topic? Ibrahim Feb 29, We hope our response below was helpful, kaleena! Let us know if you need anymore information! Nov 23, Mar 4, Thanks for visiting Wonderopolis, ccc! You're very welcome, kaleena!

Maleehah Nov 16, We're glad you having fun exploring Wonderopolis, kaleena! Nov 17, Nov 10, Parker Lerat Nov 4, DUDE this article was awesome i loved how it showed and named all the common animals in this article. Nov 4, Human Centipede Apr 20, I wish that I could have a totem pole or I could make one; I would never want to have a shame pole. Hi, macy! We agree! Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this Wonder! Jamie Tapaquon Nov 4, How long does it take to make a totem pole?

What is the most common totem pole to carve? Aziah Nov 4, I thank you wonderopolis for me learning even more about totem poles. I love how totem poles look like with ravens, bears, fish and other things. Hi, Aziah! Those animals would make cool totem poles. Thanks for sharing your idea! Colton Nov 4, I learned lots of facts about totem poles. One interesting cool fact was the shame pole pole was pretty awesome. The shame pole is when people embarrass other people to tell that they did something wrong.

Another one was the disaster of the oil spill for the B. C in Thanks a lot Wonderopolis for great things i learned. Nov 16, The following is how you would cite this page: "What Is a Totem Pole?

Rayne Nov 4, I think that this help me with my work and its very easy to understand and its very well wrote and its not that long.!!! Conredge Nov 4, Teegan Nov 4, Thank you for helping me with my work and I found this interesting.

The article I found interesting is the one that tells us what the kind of animals are on a Totem pole. This helped me with my homework: Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ty Nov 3, I found interesting in the article is that shame poles are used for people had done stuff wrong. Neanna Nov 3, This article was very interesting, and I learned so much from it! How many totem poles were put up altogether in Alaska? Tayvian Nov 3, Keana Nov 3, Do you use Shame Poles in Saskatchewan.

Damon Nov 3, This was really interesting and I did not know that there was a shame poll very interesting. Hope Charles Nov 3, I liked the way you guys design the animals on the poles. Why would they make a same pole about someone. Levi Nov 3, There are many totem poles are interesting.

Why do people make totem poles and when did it start. Jordan Nov 3, I never knew that there was a shame pole til now. And what are amends? Amends is a sum of money paid in compensation for loss or injury! That's right! Thanks for being a supportive Wonder Friend and answering Jordan's question!

Cheyanne Nov 3, This article was helpful to me because I didn't know much about them before I read this article. Also how long does it take to create a totem pole? Arrian Nov 3, Shame pole they use it to embarrass someone I think i will do it to my brothers. Will someone buy spirits pole for alot of money if it was there for long time?

I hope not. Mataya Nov 3, This is a amazing article! I love totem pole's they we my favorite,They were colorful! Jaden Nov 3, Why do you have them? Like i get what they mean but why do you have them up? I like how I learned what they meant and how their taken down. Why are some poles used for memorials?

Theirs so many questions to ask you guys in all one day. I saw many of these in parks before but not in important places. Is this right? Like to do to a person or something?? The symbols on them i saw many different symbols all around different places, who were they made by? Leyla Oct 27, Oct 28, Scrub Oct 5, Oct 6, TotemPoleFan Oct 5, Leyla Jessica Billisi Ramos Oct 27, Elijah Sep 10, Sep 13, Hey This helped me so much.

I never knew what a totem pole was until I found this website and I started making my own totems too. They are so cool. Thx Wonderopolis. Sep 10, Sep 17, Bob's mother Feb 3, Wonderopolis Feb 3, Hi Bob's mother!

Wonderopolis Jan 7, Hi aga! Wonderopolis Dec 19, Kathrine Nov 24, THank you so much WOnderopolis you are the best! Wonderopolis Nov 25, Ariel Nov 24, Wonderopolis Nov 24, That's awesome to hear, Ariel! We're really glad you're our Wonder Friend! Garry Sep 3, I hate this piece of work it bores me out of my brain. Wonderopolis Sep 3, Garren mitchell Nov 7, Thanks for this.

It really helped me on my project!!! Wonderopolis Nov 7, Hi Garren! We are so glad that we could help! Sally May 13, I learned soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dhaitya Mar 22, I learned a lot that my brain is to fat. Apr 9, We're so glad that you're learning so much with us, Dhaitya! Wonderopolis May 13, Callum Jan 23, Hey Wonderoplis Thank you so much for teaching me this. Wonderopolis Jan 23, Hi there, Callum! Ashley Dec 4, Wonderopolis Dec 5, WOW I learned a lot from you guys I didn't know that the totem poles have a lot of different characters. Wonderopolis Oct 6, Thanks wonderopolis for a lot of info on totem poles.

Wonderopolis Oct 4, Jillian mc Dec 8, This was a wonderful wonder! I learned sooo much, including the many uses of totem poles. My brother was very surprised when I told him that I was learning about Native Americans and their culture of making totem poles.

I did not know that the symbol of an eagle on a totem pole means peace. Do you know if they ever carved dogs on their poles? It was great to learn about the Native Americans, because in class, we are also learning about them, their cultures, and resources. Thank you for posting this wonder, it was fun to learn about this culture. Great job! Wonderopolis Dec 8, Mrs Caplin Dec 7, As I sit here tonight at home and read my class comments, I once again am so pleased with their new knowledge, transfer into their word study and writing and especially the extension of the school day.

I am positive some of "MC" students will be able answer the questions perhaps we can write a class blog post on my blog. Thanks from the teacher for reading and writing such marvelous comments-it makes all the learning worth while!! Matthew MC Dec 7, Hi, I am Matthew from Mrs. Caplin's class. I thought that this wonder was interesting. I did not know that most totem poles were made of Western Red Cedar trees. I also learned about all the different kinds of faces on the totem poles, like the creators face and the Killer Whale, which represents strength in the tribe.

Also, thunderbird, beaver, bear, wolf and also the frog. It's interesting how each totem pole told a different story about their tribe. I also did not know that there was such thing as a shame pole and it was used to embarras or to make that person feel bad after they had done something wrong. I'm also wondering how the Indians carved into the totem poles. Also do you know how tall the tallest Totem Pole is?

I also learned that totem poles are another way to record their history in that tribe. Also, I learned that the different tribes would have different colors for the totem poles, depending where they live. Colin King - MC Dec 7, That was a great wonder!

I learned so much about totem poles! One fact I learned was that they usually honor the dead. I also learned that they can tell stories. It's so cool that one big piece of wood can resemble all these different interesting things! The video was especially cool because I learned about the designs that are common for totem poles!

The designs are very interesting, like the one where it shows a man holding another man. I also really liked the super tall one. I learned lots of new words today and lots of new facts.

Thanks for the wonder! Sara-MC Dec 7, Dear Wonderopolis, I really enjoyed this wonder. I knew that totem poles were wooden poles in which the Native Americans carved symbols and figures to represent their tribe or to represent a god or goddess.

It also just happened to be that we are learning about Native Americans and there cultures in class. Even though I new a lot about totem poles, this wonder still taught me something. I never new that they used totem poles to shame people if they did something wrong or to tell a story. But I am still wondering If not, how many of them didn't and how many did? What symbols were usually used on the totem poles? This wonder was very intriguing.

I hope you can answer my questions. Wonderopolis Dec 7, This was a fantastic Wonder of the day that left me wanting to visit these places and see these amazing totem poles around the world. I think it is amazing that the people long ago could create such colorful and detailed sculptures. In our Scholastic News, we learned about the Cherokee people trying to preserve their indigenous language.

Totem Poles are a way for other tribes to preserve their culture. I wonder why the animals on the totem pole are usually placed on top? I wonder what people of long ago used to carve the wood into a sculpture.

In social studies class, we learned about the Alaskan Indians and how they used seals for floats. I wonder if these were also the same Indians that carve totem poles in Alaska.

Harshitha MC Dec 7, Hi, I am Harshitha from Mrs. Today I learned many new facts about totem poles. We are also learning about the Native American Indians in social studies. It's so interesting to learn about Native Americans. It's also new for me. I learned many new vocabulary words from this phenomenal wonder and I can add the new words into my word study spiral. Before I saw this cool wonder, I didn't know what a totem pole looks like and it looks cool. I also saw the man's face on the eagle's body.

I saw some faces have a beak instead of a nose, and I think the beak looks like a eagle's beak. Now I know that some Native Americans are great carvers. But, I still wonder that at the top of totem poles is always eagles carved. Is it like a tradition to carve the eagles on top? Thanks for letting me know about totem poles and I am going to learn more in my school and in a wonder.

Betty Vilenchuk Dec 7, Hi, my name is Betty, and I am from Mrs. Today I learned so many new facts that I don't even know what fact to start with. I also learned that totem poles don't only represent culture of the Native Americans, they show meaning of family and deceased people. The s or s, maybe you can help me out. In social studies, we are learning about Native Americans, and one time we were doing a little activity. It was about Southern Americans and Northern Americans. There were flash cards and we had to sort them by the tribes.

There was one question about totem poles and I barely new what they were. Now, because of this phenomenal wonder, I have 1, facts in my brain. If we start talking about totem poles in social studies, I will have all this background knowledge in my head I will answer every single question. If I have time, I will try to do the the try it out! Srikar-MC Dec 7, Hi, this is Srikar from Mrs.

I never knew that there were so many different totem poles like the Genealogy, Memorial, Mortuary, and Shame totem poles. I learned that totem poles tell stories or resemble important events. I saw the word indigenous in the text, and we did a Scholastic News about Cherokee kids trying to save there indigenous language. How many total Shame Poles are there?