TotemPoles

PointofViewPaper

AnaAguilar

Art5:NativeAmericanArt,Section1
ProfessorSeban
May4,2015

AccordingtoKathyWeiserAtotemisaspiritbeing,sacredobject,orsymbolofatribe,
clan,familyorindividual.1Thetotempolerepresentsafamilyandsometimesincludesdifferent
carvingsofanimalstotellstoriesoranimalsthatrepresentthefamilyandorgroup.Weiser
writesnativebeliefsfurtherexplainthatatotemanimalisonethatiswithyouforlife,bothin
thephysicalandspiritualworld.2Everyfamilyorgroupofnativeshaveananimalthat
representstheminawaythroughouttheirlifeandtheyusethatanimalsandcarveitontothepole
torepresentthemandplacetheminfrontoftheirhome.Sometimestheyusethetotempolesfor
supportinsidetheirhome.Theauthormentionsnativeamericantraditionprovidesthateach
individualisconnectedwithninedifferentanimalsthatwillaccompanyeachpersonthroughlife,
actingasguides.3 Thetotempolesaresacredtothenativepeopleandtheyshouldbehonored
andshouldbetreatedwithrespect.
InthearticleTheSouthernExtentofTotemPoleCarving,,H.G.BarnettstatesThe
practiceoftotempolecarvingisauniqueandajustlyfamedachievementoftheIndiansof
coastalBritishColumbiaandsouthernAlaska.4Barnettnotesthatthecarvingsontheirpoles,
likethepaintingsontheirhousefronts,thecarvingsontheirwoodencontainers,utensils,and
houseposts,werethesocialprerogativesofmembersofdistinguishedfamilies.5Eachfamily
andorgroupofpeoplecarvedorpainteddifferentsymbolsthatrepresentedthem.Theyalsoused
totempolestoshowownershiportheprivilegethegroupandorfamilyhad.Accordingto

Weiser,Kathy.NativeAmericanTotemsandTheirMeanings.
LegendsofAmerica
.
April2015.http:/www.legendsofamerica.com/natotems.html.
2
Ibid.,1.
3
Seenote2above.
4
Barnett,H.G.TheSouthernextentofTotemPoleCarving.
ThePacificNorthwest
Quarterly
33(Oct1942):379389.
5
Ibid.,379.
1

Barnettnoteveryfamilyhadtheprivilegetopaintandhaveeleganteentrancestotheirhome.6
Theauthornotesthatdoorswereusuallyrectangular,butsomeprivilegedlineageshadtheright
tomakemoreelaborateentranceswithpaintingsaroundandabovethemtorepresenthuman
beings,animals,orothercrestformsonewasmaderoundtoformamoonanotherwasshaped
likeaCopperstillanotherwasmadeinthelikenessofaravensbeak,whichopenedand
closedunderthetreadoftheceremonialvisitor.7
Noteveryfamilyhadtherighttodecoratetheirentrancetotheirhome.Howevereach
familyhaddifferentcarvingsandpaintingsontheirposts.Forexamplesomefamilymembers
hadafamilymemberthathaddiedcarvedonasupportingpostthatwasinsidetheirhome.Not
allthefamilieswereabletohavepaintingsorcarvedpoststheyhadtoearntherighttobeableto
havetotempoles.Barnettnotesthatwhenthewhitelawandorderwasestablisheditwastoo
latefornativepatternstobetransmittedwithmuchvitalityormeaning8andanyonewho
couldafforditcouldhaveacarvingorapaintingmade.9Thetraditionsarebeinglostaswellas
themeaningsbehindthetotempostbecausenowpeoplearemisinterpretingthemessagebehind
themandtherespectthattheindianshaveforthetotempoles.Beforepeopleorindianshadto
earntheprivilegeofowningatotempole.Inpresentdayanybodythathasmoneyandthinksthat
totempolesareprettyandordecorativethinkthattheycanbuythem,buttheydonotknowthat
intheindiansornativeamericanscultureitwasaprivilegetobeabletoownone.
InExplanationofTheSeattleTotemPole,,JohnR.Swantonwritesaboutthetotem
polethatislocatedinSeattle.Swantondescribesthetotempoleandexplainstheillustrationsand

Ibid.,380.
Ibid.,380382.
8
Ibid.,384.
9
Seenote5above.
6
7

carvingsthatthetotempoleconsistsof.Henotesthatitseemsthatthepolebelongedtothe
Ganaxa'di(PeopleofGa'nax),oneoftheprincipalTlingitFamiliesbelongingtotheRaven
Clan.10 Theauthoralsowritesthedifferentstoriesthecarvingsonthetotempolerepresentsfor
exampleatthetopofthepoleithasaravenandtheauthorwroteaboutthestoryoftheraven
continuingwiththenexttwofiguresatthebottomoftheravenwhicharesaidtobeawoman
andafrog.11Theauthoralsonotesthatbelowthefrogisanotherravenfollowedbyawhaleand
thatatthebottomofthepoleisthechiefofallbirds.12
MariusBarbeauinthearticleTotemPoles:AByProductoftheFurTrade,,hewrites
thatthecarvedillustrationsofthesestoriesservedadefinitepurpose,besidesthoseof
commemorationandownershiptheymadefamiliarthelegendsandrecollectionsofthepastto
allintriballife.13Thetotempolesshowownershipandsometimestellstoriesaswellasshow
privilegesthatafamilyorgrouphas.Barbeaumentionedtheanimalsmostcommonly
representedaretheeagle,raven,frog,finbackwhaleorblackfish,grizzlybear,wolfand
thunderbird.14Totempolesshouldberespectedandnotmistreated.Eventhoughthetotempoles
arebeautifultolookattheyshouldrespectthembecausetothenativepeopletheyareimportant
andtheyrepresenttheirbeliefs.Iagreewithalltheauthorsbecausetheyallmakedifferentpoints
thatareimportanttoknowabouttotempolesaswellastheirhistory.

Swanton,JohnR.ExplanationoftheSeattleTotemPole.
TheJournalofAmerican
Folklore
18(AprJun1905):108110.
11
Ibid.,108.
12
Ibid.,109.
13
Barbeau,Marius.TotemPoles:AByProductoftheFurTrade.
TheScientific
Monthly
55(Dec1942):507514.
14
Ibid.,510.
10

InmyopinionifitweremycultureIwouldwantthetotempolestoberespectedbecause
forthenativepeopleitisasacredobjectandyouwouldhavetoearntherighttoownandhave
themdisplayedinyourhome.AlthoughIwouldnotfeeloffendedifsomeoneusedthetotem
polesbecausetheyappreciatedthebeautyoftheculture,butreallyhadnointentionof
disrespectingthetotempoles.Iagreewithalloftheauthorsopinions,totempolesshouldbe
allowedtobeusedasdecorationaslongastheyarenotbeingmistreatedordishonored.Onthe
otherhandIbelievethattheyshouldnotbeusedunlessthepersonusingthemhassomesortof
culturalknowledgeofthetotempoles,sotheywillnotoffendsomeone'sculturalbeliefs.AsI
hadpreviouslystatedallauthorsmakeavalidpointbutinendtheIfeelthatpeopleinthepresent
daydonotknowtheculturebehindthetotempoles,andIthinktheydonotmeantooffendthe
indiansculturalbeliefswhentheyusethemasadecoration.

Bibliography
Barbeau,Marius.TotemPoles:AByProductoftheFurTrade.
TheScientificMonthly
55
(Dec1942):507514.
Barnett,H.G.TheSouthernextentofTotemPoleCarving.
ThePacificNorthwestQuarterly
33(Oct1942):379389.
Swanton,JohnR.ExplanationoftheSeattleTotemPole.
TheJournalofAmericanFolklore
18(AprJun1905):108110.
Weiser,Kathy.NativeAmericanTotemsandTheirMeanings.
LegendsofAmerica
.April
2015.http:/www.legendsofamerica.com/natotems.html.