Totem Pole

The totem pole is the signboard, genealogical record and memorial of Northwest Coast Aboriginal people. Crests carved on poles, usually erected at POTLATCHES, were lineage property and reflected the history of the lineage. Animals represented on the crests included the beaver, bear, wolf, shark, whale, raven, eagle, frog and mosquito; they were visual statements about group membership and identity. There were six principal types of poles: memorial or heraldic poles, grave figures, house posts, housefront or portal poles, welcoming poles and mortuary poles. Poles were skilfully carved of red cedar and were painted black, red, blue and sometimes white and yellow. They varied in size, but housefront poles could be over one metre in width at the base, reaching heights of over 15 m and generally facing the shores of rivers or the ocean. While totem poles may have been an established feature of pre-contact Aboriginal culture, most of the well-known poles found in parks and museums were carved after 1860. New poles have been commissioned since the 1950s for museums, parks and international exhibits, and since the late 1960s totem poles are once again being raised at potlatches. Older generation carvers such as Charlie James (d 1938), Ellen Neel (d 1966) and Mungo MARTIN (died 1962) have inspired artists such as Norman Tait and Douglas Cranmer to continue the tradition.

See also NORTHWEST COAST NATIVE ART.

Author RENÉ R. GADACZ

Suggested Reading
Vickie Jensen, Carving a Totem Pole (1994) and Where the People Gather (1992); Roy J. Vickers, Spirit Transformed: A Journey from Tree to Totem; Hilary Stewart, Totem Poles (1990); Marius Barbeau, Art of the Totem (1984).

Links to Other Sites
Canadian Aboriginal Writing and Arts Challenge
The website for the Canadian Aboriginal Writing and Arts Challenge, which features Canada's largest essay writing competition for Aboriginal youth (ages 14-29) and a companion program for those who prefer to work through painting, drawing and photography. See their guidelines, teacher resources, profiles of winners, and more. From the Historica-Dominion Institute.

Emily Carr
An extensive online exhibit of Emily Carr paintings depicting First Nations culture in the early 20th century. From Library and Archives Canada.

Totem Poles
A detailed and nicely illustrated history of totem poles from the Royal BC Museum. A PDF file.

The 'Respect to Bill Reid' Pole
This site captures the spiritual beauty of the "The Respect to Bill Reid Pole", which was created as a tribute to the great Haida artist, Bill Reid. Follow along a timeline to see the fascinating process involved in carving a totem pole. From the Virtual Museum of Canada.

SGaang Gwaii (Anthony Island)
The website for the SGaang Gwaii (Anthony Island) World Heritage Site in the Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands). Features beautiful images of historic Haida totem poles. A Parks Canada website.

Haida house models
An illustrated guide to models of houses constructed by the Haida people. Features photos of Chief Wiah's Monster House. From the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

Composer's 30-year journey led to Beyond Eden
A CBC News story about composer Bruce Ruddell's "Beyond Eden," a musical focusing on the disappearing totem poles of Haida Gwaii. Stars Tom Jackson and John Mann appear.

The Bill Reid Centre For Northwest Coast Art Studies
Part of the Department of First Nations Studies at Simon Fraser University, this centre is devoted to "the study of First Nations art of the Northwest Coast as the visual embodiment of a broad cultural development since the end of the last Ice Age." Click the links on the right side of the page to view an illustrated profile of the history and heritage of featured language groups and villages.