"Statues, Dream Catchers, Pottery, sale, totem poles, hand carved by northwest artists on the Yakama Indian Reservation. "

A BRIEF STORY OF TOTEM POLES

The Indians of the Pacific Northwest and lower Alaska had no written language, so they carved their family history and tribal legends into tall poles of native cedar wood. Called totem poles, these artifacts had religious, ceremonial, and historical purposes.

The raven, a bird native to the area, was thought to be sacred by the Indians and they sometimes thought of themselves as the sons and daughters of the raven. For this reason, the raven with its strong beak and eyes is often carved on totem poles. The raven is usually carved near the top where it is seen in a protective position over the pole.

Totem poles are outgrowths of the region's aboriginal art forms. Originally an important part of the Potlatch ceremony, a feast with deep meaning to coastal First Nations, totem poles were once carved and raised to represent a family-clan, its kinship system, its dignity, its accomplishments, it prestige, its adventures, its stories, its rights and prerogatives. A totem pole served, in essence, as the emblem of a family or clan and often as a reminder of its ancestry.

In times past, a totem was raised for several reasons:

in honor of a deceased elder who meant a great deal to the band
to show the (great) number of names and rights a person had acquired over their lifetime
to record an encounter with a supernatural being
to symbolize the generosity of a person who sponsored a Potlatch ceremony.

Today, totem poles are carved for both Natives and non-Natives. They have come to represent Northwest Pacific Coast Native tradition and pride. Some poles embody one-of-a-kind stories or unusual symbols. These stories or symbols are known in their entirety only to the pole's owner and the carver of the totem pole. If the pole's owner or carvers gave an account to a relative, granted interviews to academics, or left a written record, these unusual meanings are known. If not, hidden or special meanings are lost over time.

The secret to uncovering the meaning behind a totem figure, and the symbolism behind emblematic crests such as Bear, Wolf, Half-man, Sea Serpent, Glass Nose, Hawk, Red Snapper, or Wild Woman is to see the figures, sort them out, learn to identify them through photographs, and discover the myriads of stories that have been revealed and recorded

MAKE BELIEVE, MAGIC "TOTEMS": Recently, the word "totem" has come into use as part of the elaborate "Dungeons and Dragons" game playing stategy. Players give and receive "totems", a talisman-likemagical-charm that is said to empower its users with certain powers and attributes. These include totems named "Parrot", "Jaguar", "Tiger", "King Arthur", etc. Some New Age artists and jewellers also employ the "totem" as a image for various qualities they imbue into the object. Confusion arises if these groups claim their artificial "totem" constructs are part of the "ancient" First People's practise of building totem poles. These types of talismen-totems are/were not part of any Pacific Northwest Coast First Nations' traditions. Totem poles are emblems, not talismans. The difference is significant.

TO THE TOTEM POLES
.

If you reached this page from an outside
source and you do not see the menu on the left,
Please simply click on and you will be
transported to the complete web home of Toppenish Totems