Totem Poles
Totem poles are well know to most people, however what they mean, the artisanship, construction intentions and how they are used can often be elusive. I'd like to share my insights with you in the hopes of better understanding the value of these sacred objects. I apologize as to the sources of information, I took notes for personal use and do not have the appropriate credits to share with you, but the information itself is common knowledge and therefore I do not believe I am plagarizing anyone.
Let me begin by saying the totem pole can represent a personal, family, community, or nation's totem group even myths, legends, or teaching stories of creation, as well as important events in heritage or historical context. The totems represent the Medicine that is gathered in that grouping, one complimenting the other, each animal depicted brings those aspects to the mix. Totem poles were not worshipped, but the stories they told often inspired respect or veneration.
Construction often begins with a red cedar (sacred wood) pole; the western redcedar is found mainly in Western Canada and the United States. Carving was done using knives and axes, and early poles were painted using local materials. Totem poles were painted with a type of fish egg tempera and colors were limited to subdued shades of red, black, green, and blue. European paints were introduced in 1830 and poles produced after this time displayed a variety of brighter colors. White was obtained from clay, yellow from ochres, red from iron ore, blue from copper ore, and black from charcoal. Later poles were colored using pigments and paints garnered through trade with the white settlers. In 1820, the iron adze was introduced by the Northwest traders. As a result of this addition, the period from 1830-1880 is referred to as the Golden Age of Totem Poles. This period witnessed the finest and the tallest poles (between 60-80 feet) ever constructed.
Carved with images of animals or humans depicting Spirit Helpers, one face atop the next from the bottom up the poles took form. Cedar is used to purify the energy of a space or object so in this light it is sacred for all ceremonial and ritual use. It is a soft wood and readily gives itself to carving. Artisans then can depict family ancestry or lineage, protection and guardianship, healing Medicines, ceremonial poles, Medicine stories and more. Each face has significance and the carving itself is a sacred act imbuing the energy of the Totem Animal (or plant) into that section--just as one would imbue a sacred tool being fashioned.
The creation process is a ceremony in itself and begins in essence as a prayer to open to the spirit's Medicine or the essence of the event depicted and fashion it into the likeness of the images. This stated form of art is common to Native American ways, as a means of presenting the teachings, or presence of these guardian or helping spirits. At the same time each tribe had its own distinctive style.
The Kwakiutls used high-relief carvings and smooth surfaces. Haida poles utilize bold carvings and massive style. The Tsimshian and Bella Coola were ornately carved supernatural beings, and the West Coast people carved human figures on their house posts. By the 1880s and 90s the size of totem poles often proved a source of bitter rivalry and feuds between a village or tribe erecting a pole taller than that of the other group.
The archeological history of the poles and carvers is difficult to trace because they were carved from green logs and lasted for 50-60 years, so the artisan and development of carving styles must remain educated guessing. The earlier poles were utilizing a flatter style akin to a mask or other ceremonial objects. The concept was one of treating the design of the pole as a unit, rather than as several individual carvings, and this seems to have developed toward the end of the 19th century.
At first glance it might appear that the lowest figure on a totem pole, has the weight of an entire menagerie on top. Interestingly enough however, the lowest end of an authentic totem pole is as important as any other part. Totem poles are carved, not by one carver, but by a head carver and a number of apprentice-carvers. The head carver has a reputation to uphold. Therefore he or she is well aware that the viewers of a finished upright pole range in size from 3 feet (children) to about 7 feet (adults). So, to be certain the totem looks professional, the chief carver personally carves or seriously supervises the bottom ten feet of the pole.
Inexperienced apprentices are allowed more freedom to carve the higher regions. Therefore the bottom of all totem pole is sometimes the best carved part of the whole pole. Meaning wise, the low man has a much or more meaning than other figures.
Some poles are free-standing, others are created as the doorways into a home or building as a means of protection, and the size can vary considerably from a small table-top pole to a lifesize tree trunk. The images on the pole are representative of aspects relative to the intended purpose (again personal, home, family, clan, ceremony, nation or Medicine story). The combined images serve the needs of those who have permission to call upon them, for they are home to the essence of that Medicine.
The artisans had no say in in their work. They were hired to do exactly as directed by the totem pole's owner who was responsible for selection of the tree. The first step was to hollow it out as it lightened the weight of the pole so it could be moved to a crafting location. In removing the heartwood it was also more resistant to checking. Next the tree was scored off in equal sections. Sometimes different artisans worked on the various sections. Separate payment was made for each carved section. After carvings were completed, a uniform texture was applied to the entire surface by scooping out dimesized uniform chips.
Contrary to what most people believe and understand about totem poles, the Haida people constructed these poles, not for religious purposes, but to preserve their culture and heritage for future generations.While totem poles are thought by many to be a symbol of Native American culture generally, their production was limited to six tribes in British Columbia and southeastern Alaska. The tribes which carved totem poles were the Bella Coola, Haida, Kwakiutl, Tlingit, Tsimshian and West Coast.
To the untrained eye, totems are carvings of religious figures and coastal animals, but to the Haida people these poles held a deeper meaning. Carved from mature cedar trees by the Native people of the Northwest Pacific coast (British Columbia, Canada and southern Alaska, USA), full size totem poles are outgrowths of the region's aboriginal art forms. The totem poles of the Northwest Coast First Nations are probably the most immediately recognizable artifact of the culture.
Totem Pole Symbolism:
Totem poles are read from top to bottom. The principal character, clan, or totemic symbol was placed on top. Following this are the characters and objects which recall the legend and at the base of the pole is carved the wife's clan symbol. The top figure on a pole is usually the clan crest. The most common crests are the eagle, raven, thunderbird, bear, beaver, orca and frog. Eagles and thunderbirds have curved beaks, while the raven has a straight beak. Thunderbirds have outspread wings. Bears and beavers have ears on the top of their heads, and beavers also have large teeth. The orca ('killer whale') has a dorsal fin.
The figures under the crest represent figures in a story. The story may be a myth or legend, or it may be a story from the life of a person in the tribe. Like Heraldic crests, these poles told of the mythological beginnings of the great families, at a time before time, when animals and mythic beasts and men lived as equals and all that was to be was established by the play of raven and eagle, bear and wolf, frog and beaver, thunderbird and whale. They told the people of the completeness of their culture, the continuing lineages of the Great families, their closeness to the magic world of myth and legend. The legends usually deal with the exploits of Raven, tales of migration, the flood, intertribal wars and early contact with white men.
Many poles are topped off with a Thunderbird, sort of a generic capper figure, something like a Christmas star. This figure gained importance in the 1930s when the Roosevelt administration encouraged tribes such as the Ojibway and others to carve totem poles for sale to the public. Though they had no totem tradition, they carved generic totem poles making the Thunderbird topper a common sight. Thunderbird (sometimes simply called "Eagle") is a regal figure, but in many cases has far less meaning than all the carefully thought out symbolic creatures carved into the lower regions.
Also it's important to note that many Pacific Northwest Native tribes never put Thunderbird on top of their totems. The Haida often place three Watchmen on top of their totems. And there can be all sorts of other figures placed on the sky-end of a totem pole. To grasp the symbolism and secrets hidden within totem poles, try this exercise: study the Great Seal of the United States or the Coat of Arms (the Armorial Bearing) of Canada. The symbols bound up in these national emblems are roughly equivalent to a totem pole. In general, totem poles, just like Great Seals and Coats of Arms mean: "This is who we are; we have prestige, we are united, and we are proud to derive from, fight for, and stand for the qualities these symbols imply."
For example, the Coat of Arms of Canada features a lion and unicorn, British flag, maple leaves, fleur de lis and a a motto, that sums up its national identity and origins. And, the Great Seal [of the United States] with its Eagle, shield and arrows features symbols, assigned a certain meaning, that symbolize qualities the United States chooses to identify with.
For example the Eagle is seen as: noble, majestic, inspiring, intelligent, fierce, protective of its eaglets, flying high above the ordinary world with keen senses and so on. In this system we look at the "best" and noblest qualities within a symbol. For example, this particular Eagle is certainly not classified as the carrion-eater that its real-life counterpart is. So too the items it holds in its talons are imbued with positive meanings. Totem poles are emblems that symbolized where a person stood within a big family grouping-- not just a mother, father, sister, brother, but within a whole clan of relatives.
In a Native kinship system, people were considered related: by blood, experience, war exploits, and by adoption.
Each clan identified very strongly with the crests and figures carved on their totem pole. Additionally, each totem symbol can be traced back to a mystical clan-founding ancestor. Totem origins are so far back in time that they are non-human. For example, a person exhibiting a Wolf totem believed one of their ancestors once lived with supernatural Wolves, and received permission from them when he returned, to use certain symbols. Using a figure meant a person was: "descended from ...." or had recently "encountered ..." or had received "a gift from ..." a supernatural being.
The totem pole is a bridge of sorts, a central column of energy combined of these essences and functioning as a whole or independently just as we would focus on the functional aspects of our chakra power centers, independent or aligned. They are like the magician's wand at times, and this energy can be focused and directed. There are no hidden meanings in a totem pole but lots of cultural ones: hence those outside the culture may not be able to make connections.
Totem poles are more social than religious and share nothing in common with idols, are never worshipped and never figure in religious ceremonies. Though today we are finding ritualized poles constructed for blessings of healing and peace. The symbols of the past only serve as memory devices to recall a story. It is important to point out once again that these stories reflect the unifying factors of the culture and hence to read a totem pole it is necessary to understand Indian mythology. This is not an easy task.
Some myths were collected and published, others are lost for all time. In many cases young Indians are not taught the myths and older tribesmen are reluctant to discuss them. "Indians respect and honor the property right of a story. One could not sing a song which is the property of another nor dance his dance, nor tell his story."
Types of Totem Poles:
Totem poles appear in six different settings, which are common to all five tribes serving as public documents raised to recall legends or validate events and the difference between the six types lie in the purpose for which they were erected. Once a pole was erected, it was never repaired or repainted. It was left to fall prey to the elements. Indians could not engage in repairs except with great formality and expense and no new honors realized. Socially and economically it was cheaper to erect a new pole. Totem poles were personal monuments that the Indians seemed content to have last only one man's lifetime.
The types of poles erected were smaller household crests, graveyard carvings, masks, staffs and charms, poles were mainly found in 6 types. House pillars and false house pillars supported the rafters in the large communal houses. Indoor house posts, which support the roof and carry clan emblems; house frontal poles, which stand by the entrance of the house; heraldic poles, which stand in the front of the house and give the family history...a heraldic portal or family poles were placed in the middle front of a house with a hole near the base which served as a doorway. The pole was carved with the mythological history of the clan within. Its purpose was to advertise and exalt the lineage.
Burial poles, which carry a story about the deceased, these mortuary poles were simply painted poles on top of which were placed a box containing the ashes of the deceased. Later the ashes were removed and replaced with a totem. There were ridicule poles, which were sometimes erected to shame debtors; and The Ridicule or Shame pole was erected to force some person of high standing to meet or recognize an obligation. Many white men are carved on these poles. Another form of shaming a person was to carve his totem upside down.
The potlatch poles, carved exclusively by the Haida to commemorate festivals were designed to record and validate important events. Potlatch in Indian means "story master". These are the tallest (60-80 feet) and the most elaborately decorated poles. They are distinguished by having one to three high hatted watchmen at the top. Beneath the watchmen is the chief's totem, then his myth and then his wife's totem. Raising the finished pole was a great social event called a Potlatch. New pole construction was an occasion for celebration.
Poles were usually raised in the presence of hundreds of people, sometimes up to two thousand, and the family or village responsible for raising the pole was also responsible for feeding the visitors and for giving them suitable gifts. As is seen in many other cultures, the more generous the festivities, the higher the prestige of the family or tribe. The poles were a way of displaying wealth obtained in the fur trade, but it often took years to amass the resources needed to obtain the proper log, design and carve the totem pole and then erect it with the proper ceremony. The purpose of this party was to build up the reputation and standing of the host.
To raise the pole, a six foot hole was dug to nest the pole; the pole is ceremonially carried to the site and depending on the size of the pole, a hundred or more people may be needed to help carry it. Next the uncarved butt of the pole was placed over the hole, a rope was tied to the top of the pole and passed over an A-frame, and the pole was pulled erect using strong ropes raising it in stages while others pushed from below with long poles. Raising a totem pole in the traditional way is a major project and often a ceremony included the accompaniement of drumming, singing and dancing.
The erected pole would remain to give witness to the celebration that took place. Winter was the time for Potlatch as summer was a time to gather food. Preparations for this feast took several years and the actual celebration could last for months or even years.
It was an expensive event to which only the very rich could subscribe. Hosts were required to provide each guest with a daily gift in addition to their food. There were two reasons why an Indian would spend this great sum of money. First, he would pay off his debts with great ceremony and personal honor; second he would indebt his guests by giving gifts to them. These gifts were considered loans. After several years these loans must be paid back with interest to the host or his heirs. Hence Potlatches served as a type of Indian life insurance. Our term "Indian giver" is derived from this celebration. Although Indian giver is a derogatory term, the practice from which it was derived was not.
Because Native people had no written language, totem pole stories and symbols were shared only with the pole's owner, the carver of the totem pole and whoever they chose to tell.
If the pole's owner or carvers gave an account to a relative, granted interviews to academics, or left a written record, then the meaning of these old totem poles is known today. If the carver lived long ago and someone did not write it down in a form like we do, then its stories were repeated from person to person. This is called the oral tradition. While it's not the worst way of remembering, it is certainly subject to changes and distortions over time. An old undocumented totem pole with hidden or special meanings may find that it's story is lost or at least distorted over time.
Memorial poles were raised to honor both the living and the dead. Totems were a sign of the success and wealth of the native cultures that evolved along the coast, whether Haida, Kwakiutl, Tlingit, or Tsimshian. Sheltered by a benevolent forest, blessed with a food filled sea, the tribes could afford the luxury of permanent village sites and ornamental art. Totems celebrated legends, events, or simply the wealth and crest of the family for whom it was created.
The poles were neither worshipped nor had any religious signifigance, however the evolution of the totem pole has come to hold these meanings to some today. They were records of the past in a culture that had no written language. Totem Poles were an important part of tribal life for the people of the Northwest. Tribal and family history were embodied and personified in the totems which all individuals carried with them as an integral part of their personal identity. All family and tribal homes proudly displayed their tribal totems - for all to see.
Sadly, in the efforts to introduce Bibles and school books, the white man's written language, the government's outlawing of the Potlatch, the end of slavery, and the coming of canneries all spelled the end for the totem pole. Misinformed missionaries came into these areas believing totem poles to be pagan idols and promptly set out on a cutting campaign to destroy them. Intent on their mission, they were very successful and destroyed a great number.
Today there is new interest in the totem pole and as a result they are being constructed by artisans in many cultural settings to commerate their people, and the old ways. Historical museums are commissioning poles as are businesses and external tribal communities. Individuals can have them crafted for their own personal use and they are even sold over the internet as trinket sized gifts to yard sculptures and into the religious or spiritual sectors of group use as non-native circles form and the spillage of one culture mixes with others.
*Edited to remove Totem Library key as I copied this there. *S*
Totem poles are well know to most people, however what they mean, the artisanship, construction intentions and how they are used can often be elusive. I'd like to share my insights with you in the hopes of better understanding the value of these sacred objects. I apologize as to the sources of information, I took notes for personal use and do not have the appropriate credits to share with you, but the information itself is common knowledge and therefore I do not believe I am plagarizing anyone.
Let me begin by saying the totem pole can represent a personal, family, community, or nation's totem group even myths, legends, or teaching stories of creation, as well as important events in heritage or historical context. The totems represent the Medicine that is gathered in that grouping, one complimenting the other, each animal depicted brings those aspects to the mix. Totem poles were not worshipped, but the stories they told often inspired respect or veneration.
Construction often begins with a red cedar (sacred wood) pole; the western redcedar is found mainly in Western Canada and the United States. Carving was done using knives and axes, and early poles were painted using local materials. Totem poles were painted with a type of fish egg tempera and colors were limited to subdued shades of red, black, green, and blue. European paints were introduced in 1830 and poles produced after this time displayed a variety of brighter colors. White was obtained from clay, yellow from ochres, red from iron ore, blue from copper ore, and black from charcoal. Later poles were colored using pigments and paints garnered through trade with the white settlers. In 1820, the iron adze was introduced by the Northwest traders. As a result of this addition, the period from 1830-1880 is referred to as the Golden Age of Totem Poles. This period witnessed the finest and the tallest poles (between 60-80 feet) ever constructed.
Carved with images of animals or humans depicting Spirit Helpers, one face atop the next from the bottom up the poles took form. Cedar is used to purify the energy of a space or object so in this light it is sacred for all ceremonial and ritual use. It is a soft wood and readily gives itself to carving. Artisans then can depict family ancestry or lineage, protection and guardianship, healing Medicines, ceremonial poles, Medicine stories and more. Each face has significance and the carving itself is a sacred act imbuing the energy of the Totem Animal (or plant) into that section--just as one would imbue a sacred tool being fashioned.
The creation process is a ceremony in itself and begins in essence as a prayer to open to the spirit's Medicine or the essence of the event depicted and fashion it into the likeness of the images. This stated form of art is common to Native American ways, as a means of presenting the teachings, or presence of these guardian or helping spirits. At the same time each tribe had its own distinctive style.
The Kwakiutls used high-relief carvings and smooth surfaces. Haida poles utilize bold carvings and massive style. The Tsimshian and Bella Coola were ornately carved supernatural beings, and the West Coast people carved human figures on their house posts. By the 1880s and 90s the size of totem poles often proved a source of bitter rivalry and feuds between a village or tribe erecting a pole taller than that of the other group.
The archeological history of the poles and carvers is difficult to trace because they were carved from green logs and lasted for 50-60 years, so the artisan and development of carving styles must remain educated guessing. The earlier poles were utilizing a flatter style akin to a mask or other ceremonial objects. The concept was one of treating the design of the pole as a unit, rather than as several individual carvings, and this seems to have developed toward the end of the 19th century.
At first glance it might appear that the lowest figure on a totem pole, has the weight of an entire menagerie on top. Interestingly enough however, the lowest end of an authentic totem pole is as important as any other part. Totem poles are carved, not by one carver, but by a head carver and a number of apprentice-carvers. The head carver has a reputation to uphold. Therefore he or she is well aware that the viewers of a finished upright pole range in size from 3 feet (children) to about 7 feet (adults). So, to be certain the totem looks professional, the chief carver personally carves or seriously supervises the bottom ten feet of the pole.
Inexperienced apprentices are allowed more freedom to carve the higher regions. Therefore the bottom of all totem pole is sometimes the best carved part of the whole pole. Meaning wise, the low man has a much or more meaning than other figures.
Some poles are free-standing, others are created as the doorways into a home or building as a means of protection, and the size can vary considerably from a small table-top pole to a lifesize tree trunk. The images on the pole are representative of aspects relative to the intended purpose (again personal, home, family, clan, ceremony, nation or Medicine story). The combined images serve the needs of those who have permission to call upon them, for they are home to the essence of that Medicine.
The artisans had no say in in their work. They were hired to do exactly as directed by the totem pole's owner who was responsible for selection of the tree. The first step was to hollow it out as it lightened the weight of the pole so it could be moved to a crafting location. In removing the heartwood it was also more resistant to checking. Next the tree was scored off in equal sections. Sometimes different artisans worked on the various sections. Separate payment was made for each carved section. After carvings were completed, a uniform texture was applied to the entire surface by scooping out dimesized uniform chips.
Contrary to what most people believe and understand about totem poles, the Haida people constructed these poles, not for religious purposes, but to preserve their culture and heritage for future generations.While totem poles are thought by many to be a symbol of Native American culture generally, their production was limited to six tribes in British Columbia and southeastern Alaska. The tribes which carved totem poles were the Bella Coola, Haida, Kwakiutl, Tlingit, Tsimshian and West Coast.
To the untrained eye, totems are carvings of religious figures and coastal animals, but to the Haida people these poles held a deeper meaning. Carved from mature cedar trees by the Native people of the Northwest Pacific coast (British Columbia, Canada and southern Alaska, USA), full size totem poles are outgrowths of the region's aboriginal art forms. The totem poles of the Northwest Coast First Nations are probably the most immediately recognizable artifact of the culture.
Totem Pole Symbolism:
Totem poles are read from top to bottom. The principal character, clan, or totemic symbol was placed on top. Following this are the characters and objects which recall the legend and at the base of the pole is carved the wife's clan symbol. The top figure on a pole is usually the clan crest. The most common crests are the eagle, raven, thunderbird, bear, beaver, orca and frog. Eagles and thunderbirds have curved beaks, while the raven has a straight beak. Thunderbirds have outspread wings. Bears and beavers have ears on the top of their heads, and beavers also have large teeth. The orca ('killer whale') has a dorsal fin.
The figures under the crest represent figures in a story. The story may be a myth or legend, or it may be a story from the life of a person in the tribe. Like Heraldic crests, these poles told of the mythological beginnings of the great families, at a time before time, when animals and mythic beasts and men lived as equals and all that was to be was established by the play of raven and eagle, bear and wolf, frog and beaver, thunderbird and whale. They told the people of the completeness of their culture, the continuing lineages of the Great families, their closeness to the magic world of myth and legend. The legends usually deal with the exploits of Raven, tales of migration, the flood, intertribal wars and early contact with white men.
Many poles are topped off with a Thunderbird, sort of a generic capper figure, something like a Christmas star. This figure gained importance in the 1930s when the Roosevelt administration encouraged tribes such as the Ojibway and others to carve totem poles for sale to the public. Though they had no totem tradition, they carved generic totem poles making the Thunderbird topper a common sight. Thunderbird (sometimes simply called "Eagle") is a regal figure, but in many cases has far less meaning than all the carefully thought out symbolic creatures carved into the lower regions.
Also it's important to note that many Pacific Northwest Native tribes never put Thunderbird on top of their totems. The Haida often place three Watchmen on top of their totems. And there can be all sorts of other figures placed on the sky-end of a totem pole. To grasp the symbolism and secrets hidden within totem poles, try this exercise: study the Great Seal of the United States or the Coat of Arms (the Armorial Bearing) of Canada. The symbols bound up in these national emblems are roughly equivalent to a totem pole. In general, totem poles, just like Great Seals and Coats of Arms mean: "This is who we are; we have prestige, we are united, and we are proud to derive from, fight for, and stand for the qualities these symbols imply."
For example, the Coat of Arms of Canada features a lion and unicorn, British flag, maple leaves, fleur de lis and a a motto, that sums up its national identity and origins. And, the Great Seal [of the United States] with its Eagle, shield and arrows features symbols, assigned a certain meaning, that symbolize qualities the United States chooses to identify with.
For example the Eagle is seen as: noble, majestic, inspiring, intelligent, fierce, protective of its eaglets, flying high above the ordinary world with keen senses and so on. In this system we look at the "best" and noblest qualities within a symbol. For example, this particular Eagle is certainly not classified as the carrion-eater that its real-life counterpart is. So too the items it holds in its talons are imbued with positive meanings. Totem poles are emblems that symbolized where a person stood within a big family grouping-- not just a mother, father, sister, brother, but within a whole clan of relatives.
In a Native kinship system, people were considered related: by blood, experience, war exploits, and by adoption.
Each clan identified very strongly with the crests and figures carved on their totem pole. Additionally, each totem symbol can be traced back to a mystical clan-founding ancestor. Totem origins are so far back in time that they are non-human. For example, a person exhibiting a Wolf totem believed one of their ancestors once lived with supernatural Wolves, and received permission from them when he returned, to use certain symbols. Using a figure meant a person was: "descended from ...." or had recently "encountered ..." or had received "a gift from ..." a supernatural being.
The totem pole is a bridge of sorts, a central column of energy combined of these essences and functioning as a whole or independently just as we would focus on the functional aspects of our chakra power centers, independent or aligned. They are like the magician's wand at times, and this energy can be focused and directed. There are no hidden meanings in a totem pole but lots of cultural ones: hence those outside the culture may not be able to make connections.
Totem poles are more social than religious and share nothing in common with idols, are never worshipped and never figure in religious ceremonies. Though today we are finding ritualized poles constructed for blessings of healing and peace. The symbols of the past only serve as memory devices to recall a story. It is important to point out once again that these stories reflect the unifying factors of the culture and hence to read a totem pole it is necessary to understand Indian mythology. This is not an easy task.
Some myths were collected and published, others are lost for all time. In many cases young Indians are not taught the myths and older tribesmen are reluctant to discuss them. "Indians respect and honor the property right of a story. One could not sing a song which is the property of another nor dance his dance, nor tell his story."
Types of Totem Poles:
Totem poles appear in six different settings, which are common to all five tribes serving as public documents raised to recall legends or validate events and the difference between the six types lie in the purpose for which they were erected. Once a pole was erected, it was never repaired or repainted. It was left to fall prey to the elements. Indians could not engage in repairs except with great formality and expense and no new honors realized. Socially and economically it was cheaper to erect a new pole. Totem poles were personal monuments that the Indians seemed content to have last only one man's lifetime.
The types of poles erected were smaller household crests, graveyard carvings, masks, staffs and charms, poles were mainly found in 6 types. House pillars and false house pillars supported the rafters in the large communal houses. Indoor house posts, which support the roof and carry clan emblems; house frontal poles, which stand by the entrance of the house; heraldic poles, which stand in the front of the house and give the family history...a heraldic portal or family poles were placed in the middle front of a house with a hole near the base which served as a doorway. The pole was carved with the mythological history of the clan within. Its purpose was to advertise and exalt the lineage.
Burial poles, which carry a story about the deceased, these mortuary poles were simply painted poles on top of which were placed a box containing the ashes of the deceased. Later the ashes were removed and replaced with a totem. There were ridicule poles, which were sometimes erected to shame debtors; and The Ridicule or Shame pole was erected to force some person of high standing to meet or recognize an obligation. Many white men are carved on these poles. Another form of shaming a person was to carve his totem upside down.
The potlatch poles, carved exclusively by the Haida to commemorate festivals were designed to record and validate important events. Potlatch in Indian means "story master". These are the tallest (60-80 feet) and the most elaborately decorated poles. They are distinguished by having one to three high hatted watchmen at the top. Beneath the watchmen is the chief's totem, then his myth and then his wife's totem. Raising the finished pole was a great social event called a Potlatch. New pole construction was an occasion for celebration.
Poles were usually raised in the presence of hundreds of people, sometimes up to two thousand, and the family or village responsible for raising the pole was also responsible for feeding the visitors and for giving them suitable gifts. As is seen in many other cultures, the more generous the festivities, the higher the prestige of the family or tribe. The poles were a way of displaying wealth obtained in the fur trade, but it often took years to amass the resources needed to obtain the proper log, design and carve the totem pole and then erect it with the proper ceremony. The purpose of this party was to build up the reputation and standing of the host.
To raise the pole, a six foot hole was dug to nest the pole; the pole is ceremonially carried to the site and depending on the size of the pole, a hundred or more people may be needed to help carry it. Next the uncarved butt of the pole was placed over the hole, a rope was tied to the top of the pole and passed over an A-frame, and the pole was pulled erect using strong ropes raising it in stages while others pushed from below with long poles. Raising a totem pole in the traditional way is a major project and often a ceremony included the accompaniement of drumming, singing and dancing.
The erected pole would remain to give witness to the celebration that took place. Winter was the time for Potlatch as summer was a time to gather food. Preparations for this feast took several years and the actual celebration could last for months or even years.
It was an expensive event to which only the very rich could subscribe. Hosts were required to provide each guest with a daily gift in addition to their food. There were two reasons why an Indian would spend this great sum of money. First, he would pay off his debts with great ceremony and personal honor; second he would indebt his guests by giving gifts to them. These gifts were considered loans. After several years these loans must be paid back with interest to the host or his heirs. Hence Potlatches served as a type of Indian life insurance. Our term "Indian giver" is derived from this celebration. Although Indian giver is a derogatory term, the practice from which it was derived was not.
Because Native people had no written language, totem pole stories and symbols were shared only with the pole's owner, the carver of the totem pole and whoever they chose to tell.
If the pole's owner or carvers gave an account to a relative, granted interviews to academics, or left a written record, then the meaning of these old totem poles is known today. If the carver lived long ago and someone did not write it down in a form like we do, then its stories were repeated from person to person. This is called the oral tradition. While it's not the worst way of remembering, it is certainly subject to changes and distortions over time. An old undocumented totem pole with hidden or special meanings may find that it's story is lost or at least distorted over time.
Memorial poles were raised to honor both the living and the dead. Totems were a sign of the success and wealth of the native cultures that evolved along the coast, whether Haida, Kwakiutl, Tlingit, or Tsimshian. Sheltered by a benevolent forest, blessed with a food filled sea, the tribes could afford the luxury of permanent village sites and ornamental art. Totems celebrated legends, events, or simply the wealth and crest of the family for whom it was created.
The poles were neither worshipped nor had any religious signifigance, however the evolution of the totem pole has come to hold these meanings to some today. They were records of the past in a culture that had no written language. Totem Poles were an important part of tribal life for the people of the Northwest. Tribal and family history were embodied and personified in the totems which all individuals carried with them as an integral part of their personal identity. All family and tribal homes proudly displayed their tribal totems - for all to see.
Sadly, in the efforts to introduce Bibles and school books, the white man's written language, the government's outlawing of the Potlatch, the end of slavery, and the coming of canneries all spelled the end for the totem pole. Misinformed missionaries came into these areas believing totem poles to be pagan idols and promptly set out on a cutting campaign to destroy them. Intent on their mission, they were very successful and destroyed a great number.
Today there is new interest in the totem pole and as a result they are being constructed by artisans in many cultural settings to commerate their people, and the old ways. Historical museums are commissioning poles as are businesses and external tribal communities. Individuals can have them crafted for their own personal use and they are even sold over the internet as trinket sized gifts to yard sculptures and into the religious or spiritual sectors of group use as non-native circles form and the spillage of one culture mixes with others.
*Edited to remove Totem Library key as I copied this there. *S*
