What did the totem pole represent for the Kwakiutl tribe?
What did the totem pole represent for the Kwakiutl tribe?
Up to 50 people from the same clan would live in one house. Totem poles are ceremonial statues that were carved by many of the tribes in the Pacific Northwest. The animals and figures on the totems represent the history of the family that lived in that house.
Did the Kwakiutl make totem poles?
Welcome pole Carved by the Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwakiutl), Salish and Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) people, most of the poles include large carvings of human figures, some as tall as 40 ft (12 m).
What does a totem pole represent?
Totem poles are monuments created by First Nations of the Pacific Northwest to represent and commemorate ancestry, histories, people, or events. Totem poles are typically created out of red cedar, a malleable wood relatively abundant in the Pacific Northwest, and would be erected to be visible within a community.
What should I put on my totem pole?
The figures carved on a Totem pole might include a person, animals, birds or insects and might also display mythological and legendary images, usually Animal Spirits, whose significance was their association with the lineage of the tribe.
What are facts about totem poles?
Totem poles are sculptures carved from large trees, such as the Western Red Cedar. In North America, totem poles are part of the cultures of many indigenous peoples of Alaska, British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest. Totem poles serve many purposes beyond their beauty, and their meanings are as varied as the cultures that make them.
What are the totem poles used for?
Some totem poles represent stories or important events. On these poles, each figure on the totem represents part of a story. These totems are used as a way to record the history and legends of the tribes. Figures on a totem pole are not gods to be worshipped.
What are the different parts of a totem pole?
Totem Pole People: Men and Women are represented fairly realistically. Totem Pole Top Figures: The top figures often identify the tribe, clan or lineage such as the eagle or the raven Totem Pole Land Animals: The eyes of land animals are carved as two curves enclosing a circle.
What does totem pole stand for?
Meaning of Totem Pole Colors. Certain tribes even used used it for mountains in the distance. It stands for sincerity and happiness. Berries formed a large portion of the natural materials for this color. Western clay and pigments of the canyons also lent varying hues to this effective color.
