Sunday, July 15, 2007

Totem Poles

Totem poles are a tradition of Pacific Northwest Coast Indian tribes (Washington state, British Columbia and southern Alaska). They wood they were carved from came mostly from cedar trees. Totem poles stood in a room, or sometimes sat outside tents to represent the status of the people living in the tent. Totem poles were originally part of the Potlatch ceremony, a meaningful feast of the coastal First Nations. They were carved to represent a family, like a family crest. They recognized the family’s accomplishments, adventures, stories and prerogatives.

Totem poles were raised in honors of an elder that had passed away who meant a lot to the clan, to show the number of names and rights someone had acquired throughout their life or to record an encounter with a supernatural being. When a tribal chief died, totem poles were used to bring them honor. A hand-carved totem pole would be raised that showed the accomplishments the chief had achieved over his life. High ranking people might be honored when they died by being cremated, then having their ashes put into a totem pole (near the top in a hollow section).

There was a totem pole called a shame pole. It was used to show the disgrace of a person. It was an effective tool used by a tribal chief against another. The shame pole would stay in a place until the other chief would pay a demanded price or make peace in a different way.

Animals weren’t always carved clearly, but there was always a theme that helped identify them. An example of one of these theme would be a beavers two sharp teeth and its broad shaped tail displayed in front of its body. If a totem pole had an eagle on it, it was either because the owner believed his ancestry stemmed from the eagle, the owner had recently had an encounter with the animal or he had received a supernatural gift from the animal.

Here are some common totem figures and what they stand for:
Wolf- Powerful (most powerful are pure white)
Bear- Caring, must not be insulted or cursed
Whale- Ruler of water, noble
Raven- Powerful, curious, defiant, compulsive, corrupt, deceptive
Eagle- Lord of the sky, brave
Hawk- Regal, stands off but will assist humans if they need help
Thunderbird- Grand lord of the sky, needs homage
Kolus- Thunderbird’s brother, show off, competitive, strong
Two-headed Sea Serpent- Deceitful, evil, can turn enemies into stone with one glance
Beaver- Vengeful
Frog- Misunderstood, underestimated, associated with great wealth

The meaning of some totem poles that told of stories or adventures have been lost over time. The meanings were usually kept within the family, the pole’s owner and the carver. Some owners did share the story of their totem pole, but unless they did, the meaning was not understood by others and totally lost.

Totem poles today are carved for both Natives and non-Natives. They represent Native tradition and pride. The most expensive form of Native art is probably totem poles made during the 1800’s, which were made of one piece of cedar each, which could be up to forty feet. It isn’t really surprising that they are so expensive, because of the cost of a full-grown cedar tree and the amount of carving and painting an artist uses to turn it into a totem pole. On average, a totem pole is $500 per foot. If you find one less than that, it probably isn’t hand-carved, made by a native artist and/or carved from one tree.

Works Cited:

“American Indian Totem Poles.” Native Languages of the Americas: Preserving and promoting American Indian languages. 1998-2007. 13 Jul 2007
http://www.native-languages.org/totem.htm.

“Native American Totem Poles.” Indians. 2007. American Indian Heritage Foundation. 13 Jul 2007
http://www.indians.org/articles/native-american-totem-poles.html.

“Totem Poles and Sculptures.” Native Online. 2000. 13 Jul 2007
http://www.nativeonline.com/totem_poles.htm#Common%20Totem%20Figures.

I believe that the main theme of the book was that justice should heal, not punish. Ben Mikaelsen had wrote about Cole’s life at the detention center. One thing that really sticks out in my mind is when Garvey brought the cake ingredients and left them there, and Cole threw them everywhere. This showed that Cole was an angry person and the detention center wasn’t helping him with his anger in any way. After his attack from the Spirit Bear, Cole began to change. Towards the end of the book he helped Peter change, also. The other form of justice (Circle Justice) healed Cole and helped him with his anger. As you can see, Ben Mikaelsen was trying to prove that justice should heal and not punish.

1 comment:

Deborah said...

Spirit Bear
Good book! Circle Justice seems to make better sense than our current prison system!