DescriptionTotem poles (Haida: gyáaʼaang) are monumental carvings found in western Canada and the northwestern United States. They are a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They are usually made from large trees, mostly western red cedar, by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Including Haida, Tlingit, and Tsimshian, Kwakwaka’wakw, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Coast.The word totem derives from the Algonquian word odoodem meaning “(his) kinship group”. The carvings may symbolize or commemorate ancestors, cultural beliefs, familiar legends, lineages, or notable events. The poles may also serve as functional architectural features, welcome signs for village visitors, mortuary vessels for the remains of deceased ancestors, or as a means to publicly ridicule someone. They may embody a historical narrative of significance to the people carving and installing the pole. Given the complexity and symbolic meanings of these various carvings, their placement and importance lies in the observer’s knowledge and connection to the meanings of the figures and the culture in which they are embedded. Contrary to common misconception, they are not worshipped or the subject of spiritual practice.little chip on side and bottomMade in British Columbia, CanadaVintage ~ 1970s
