Totem Poles

[Mirah]

Aren't what I thought they were

 

[Seph]

Elaborate.

 

[Mirah]

I assumed they had a spiritual significance and I learned that sometimes they were placed to mock someone. And sometimes they were created to mark significant events. Also that they may be mostly coastal.

 

[Seph]

I assumed they had a spiritual significance and I learned that sometimes they were placed to mock someone. And sometimes they were created to mark significant events. Also that they may be mostly coastal.

Interesting, I always thought they were of the local wildlife that they used and respected as things essential survival.

That kind of thing.

 

[Mirah]

Same.
I am still researching.

A tree was taken down in front of my work last week and I made a comment of "Can we turn it into a totem pole?" and the worker said we would have to consult the indiginous representative. So then I looked up types of totem poles and learned some things.
The land where I work is owned by the National Park, but I don't work for the park. They have a lot of rules about what can and can't be done and respectively so.

 

[Mirah]

Link

https://study.com/learn/lesson/native-american-totem-poles-symbolism-history.html

Totem poles have many symbols, which are depicted by carvings of animals or ancestors of indigenous peoples. Each person animal holds a unique meaning to the family or tribe who owns the totem. For example, wolves generally represent loyalty, success, intelligence, individuality, and freedom.

Totem poles represent the history, culture, and ancestry of a family or tribe of indigenous people. Different types of totem polls can have different purposes, such as to tell a story, welcome new people into the community, memorialize the dead, or shame individuals who have done something wrong.

Native American totem poles originated in the Pacific Northwest of North America during the 1700s. They are hand-painted and hand-carved. When new technologies were introduced by European settlers, more totems could me produced and the art spread to other Native American settlements throughout the continent.

 

[C-40]

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. Totem poles serve many purposes beyond their beauty, and their meanings are as varied as the cultures that make them.There are many types of totem poles. Some totem poles represent stories or important events. On these poles, each figure on the totem represents part of a story. Other totem poles are put in front of a family's home to represent the owner's family or social status. Memorial poles are carved in honour of a family member who has passed away. Another interesting type of totem pole is the shame pole.Shame poles are carved to embarrass and ridicule someone who has done something wrong. Shame poles are taken down once the person has made up for what they did . A famous shame pole erected in Cordova, Alaska, included the face of an oil company businessman. It is said to represent the unpaid debt the oil company owes for damages caused by the oil spill in Valdez, Alaska.Colours used to paint totem poles were limited. Artists relied on natural ingredients and colours. Black was the most common, made by grinding soot, graphite or charcoal. Red came from red ochre, a clay like material. Though the totem pole has been a part of history for decades, totem poles are still created today. Native carvers in the Northwest continue to carve totems as symbols of their cultural pride and clan kinship.

 

[jack]

Link

https://study.com/learn/lesson/native-american-totem-poles-symbolism-history.html

Totem poles have many symbols, which are depicted by carvings of animals or ancestors of indigenous peoples. Each person animal holds a unique meaning to the family or tribe who owns the totem. For example, wolves generally represent loyalty, success, intelligence, individuality, and freedom.

Totem poles represent the history, culture, and ancestry of a family or tribe of indigenous people. Different types of totem polls can have different purposes, such as to tell a story, welcome new people into the community, memorialize the dead, or shame individuals who have done something wrong.

Native American totem poles originated in the Pacific Northwest of North America during the 1700s. They are hand-painted and hand-carved. When new technologies were introduced by European settlers, more totems could me produced and the art spread to other Native American settlements throughout the continent.

When we were in western Washington last spring we saw a lot of them. At the markets we went to there were variations on the totem pole theme for merchandise, and we bought a book of some of the designs the indigenous people use as templates for the poles.

My son knows a lot about some of the tribes' culture, because he teaches high school english to middle schoolers. I can ask him about it.

 

[Mirah]

I am curious what the name of the book is.