At this point I will have students develop a list of items that are important in their lives. Their lists might include MTV, various sports or sporting equipment, Puma sneakers, and video games, among others. I will have students develop a visual symbol to represent each item on their list. As a whole class, they will decide what symbols should be used as space fillers. These symbols will be represented on their actual totem poles which they will construct in their last lesson.
The Totem Pole
“Like Heraldic crests, these poles told of the mythological beginnings of the great families, at a time before time, when animals and mythic beasts and men lived as equals and all that was to be was established by the play of raven and eagle, bear and wolf, frog and beaver, thunderbird and whale.”
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“They told the people of the completeness of their culture, the continuing lineages of the Great families, their closeness to the magic world of myth and legend.”
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“The legends usually deal with the exploits of Raven, tales of migration, the flood, intertribal wars and early contact with white men.”
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These totems appear in six different settings, which are common to all five tribes. They are all carved from red cedar in the conventional art style. Totem poles were public documents raised to recall legends or validate events and the difference between the six types lie in the purpose for which they were erected.
The six types are as follows:
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“1.
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House pillars and false house pillars supported the rafters in the large communal houses.
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Mortuary poles were simply painted poles on top of which were placed a box containing the ashes of the deceased. Later the ashes were removed and replaced with a totem.
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Memorial poles were raised to honor both the living and the dead.
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Heraldic portal or family poles were placed in the middle front of a house with a hole near the base which served as a doorway. The pole was carved with the mythological history of the clan within. Its purpose was to advertise and exalt the lineage.
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The Potlatch pole was designed to record and validate important events. Potlatch in Indian means “story master”. These are the tallest (6080 feet) and the most elaborately decorated poles. They are distinguished by having one to three high hatted watchmen at the top. Beneath the watchmen is the chief’s totem, then his myth and then his wife’s totem.
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The Ridicule or Shame pole was erected to force some person of high standing to meet or recognize an obligation. Many white men are carved on these poles. Another form of shaming a person was to carve his totem upside down.”
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There are no hidden meanings in a totem pole but lots of cultural ones: hence those outside the culture may not be able to make connections. Totem poles are more social than religious and share nothing in common with idols, are never worshipped and never figure in religious ceremonies. The symbols only serve as memory devices to recall a story. It is important to point out once again that these stories reflect the unifying factors of the culture and hence to read a totem pole it is necessary to understand Indian mythology. This is not an easy task. Some myths were collected and published, others are lost for all time. In many cases young Indians are not taught the myths and older tribesmen are reluctant to discuss them. “Indians respect and honor the property right of a story. One could not sing a song which is the property of another nor dance his dance, nor tell his story.”
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The following list is what Indian scholars consider necessary to fully analyze the totem pole. For middle school students the list is overwhelming, but it does provide guidelines for the teacher. To read a totem pole certain basic facts should be predetermined:
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“1. Determine what linguistic group made the pole.
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2. Ascertain the type of pole, mortuary, heraldic.
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3. Locate and study tribal myths.
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4. Identify each figure.
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5. Determine which characters are part of the story and which are space fillers.
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6. Recall the myth starting from the top.”
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Totem poles are read from top to bottom. The principal character, clan, orphratry symbol was placed on top. Following this are the characters and objects which recall the legend and at the base of the pole is carved the wife’s clan symbol.
Carvers had no say in their work. They were artists hired to do exactly as directed by the totem pole’s owner. After the owner selected his tree the first step was to hollow it out. This work made the tree more mobile, and by removing the heartwood, more resistant to checking. The tree was marked off into equal sections. Sometimes different carvers were used for different sections. Separate payment was made for each carved section. After carvings were completed, a uniform texture was applied to the entire surface by scooping out dimesized uniform chips.
Totem poles were painted with a type of fish egg tempera and colors were limited to subdued shades of red, black, green, and blue. European paints were introduced in 1830 and poles produced after this time displayed a variety of brighter colors.
In 1820, the iron adze was introduced by the Northwest traders. As a result of this addition, the period from 18301880 is referred to as the Golden Age of Totem Poles. This period witnessed the finest and the tallest poles (between 6080 feet) ever constructed.
Raising the finished pole was a great social event called a Potlatch. The purpose of this party was to build up the reputation and social standing of the host. The erected pole would remain to give witness to the celebration that took place. Winter was the time for Potlatch as summer was a time to gather food. Preparations for this feast took several years and the actual celebration could last for months or even years. It was an expensive event to which only the very rich could subscribe. Hosts were required to provide each guest with a daily gift in addition to their food. There were two reasons why an Indian would spend this great sum of money. First, he would pay off his debts with great ceremony and personal honor; second he would indebt his guests by giving gifts to them. These gifts were considered loans. After several years these loans must be paid back with interest to the host or his heirs. Hence Potlatches served as a type of Indian life insurance. Our term “Indian giver” is derived from this celebration. Although Indian giver is a derogatory term, the practice from which it was derived was not.
Once a pole was erected, it was never repaired or repainted. It was left to fall prey to the elements. “Indians could not engage in repairs except with great formality and expense and no new honors realized.”l7 Socially and economically it was cheaper to erect a new pole. Totem poles were personal monuments that the Indians seemed content to have last only one man’s lifetime.
Bibles and school books, the white man’s written language, the government’s outlawing of the Potlatch, the end of slavery, and the coming of canneries all spelled the end for the totem pole. Misinformed missionaries came into the area believing totem poles to be pagan idols and promptly set cut on a campaign to destroy them. Intent on their mission, they were very successful and destroyed a great number.
Brief and unsuccessful attempts were made by local inhabitants at reviving the totem pole. Indian life styles were so changed that the importance of the totem pole was gone forever.
