Totems and Totem Poles

• In tribal cultures throughout the world, people have "totems," or sacred objects, such as plants, animals or supernatural beings. The word "totem" comes from the Ojibwa word, "ototeman," as Dr. Robin K. Wright, curator of Native American art at the Burke Museum in Seattle, explains. Totems are important to entire social groups and tribes often link totems to a tribe's origins and identity. Totem poles are carved columns that an entire clan or social group erects to remember a historical or mythological event. According to "Totem Poles of the Pacific Northwest" by anthropologist Edward Malin, totem poles are not always connected to a totemic symbol, but instead are tied to symbols that relate to a group's social status and social affiliations.
  
  

Early Totem Poles

• Between the 1770s and 1800s, European explorers of the Pacific Northwest coast wrote early accounts of totem poles. These explorers and fur traders noticed monumental wood sculptures among some Native American tribes. The accounts showed that Native Americans did not uniformly practice totem pole raising and it was not a widespread phenomenon along the length of the Northwest coast. During the 19th century, totem poles increased in size and number among Native Americans and multi-figure pole carving spread among coastal tribes. This increase in pole carving was due to multiple factors, including the increased wealth and access to European iron tools that the fur trade provided Native Americans.
  
  

Types of Totem Poles

• According to Edward Malin, Native Americans carved different types of totem poles. The memorial pole was one of the earliest types. Memorial poles honored deceased leaders and often displayed a single figure at the top of the pole that represented the leader's clan or lineage. The house pole was erected inside of the home and often supported the roof and displayed the family's lineage crest, which included images of animals, birds or human figures. Mortuary poles were raised in front of people's homes to honor deceased leaders. The poles often contained a hollowed-out space to house the remains of the deceased. Heraldic or free-standing poles had larger heights and diameters than other types of totem poles. The poles told elaborate stories, commemorating important social events and revealing ancestors' mythological and historical pasts.
  
  

Red Cedar

• Native Americans carved their totem poles from different woods that were native to the Pacific coast. The wood from the western red cedar, however, was the most common wood that carvers used to create totem poles. Red cedar has the advantage of being highly resistant to moisture. As the red cedar dries, it becomes strong and can withstand the elements for up to 50 or 60 years. Native Americans created all of their red cedar totem poles to stand tall; totem poles ranged from 10 to 80 feet tall.