What is the story of the totem pole?
Totem poles are a traditional way of telling the stories of First Nation families and clans, and of keeping records of important historical events. Most totem poles were carved from mature cedar trees using sharpened stones and cedar carving tools.
How do you make a totem pole for a school project?
- 1 Wrap a piece. Wrap a piece of brown construction paper around an empty paper towel tube once and cut off any excess construction paper.
- 2 Place the trimmed construction paper.
- 3 Use crayons and markers and.
- 4 Glue the construction paper.
- 5 Make wings for your totem pole.
How do you read a totem pole?
The totem pole is built in three sections and the position of figures on the Totem pole are also significant. The bottom section of the Totem Pole is the most important as it displays the symbols and images in the most visible and prominent position. Totem poles are read from bottom to top.
What is the order of a totem pole?
The figures on a totem pole are arranged from top to bottom, but the sequence of the figures is not an indication of their importance. The concept of “low man on the totem pole” is not an expression of Northwest Coast culture as position on the pole is not an indication of rank.
Is it OK to say totem pole?
“Climbing the totem pole” or “Low man on the totem pole” “When saying that someone is on the top or bottom of the totem pole, this can be perceived as insensitive because there is no ‘bottom’ in the same sense,” says Waters. “This comment isn’t necessarily offensive; it is however, insensitive.”
What is the purpose of a totem?
The word totem refers to a guardian or ancestral being, usually supernatural, that is revered and respected, but not always worshipped. The significance of the real or mythological animal carved on a totem pole is its identification with the lineage of the head of the household.
What were the 6 different types of totem poles created?
The original totem poles were created by only six nations of the western part of North America:
- the Haida (say “hydah”),
- the Nuxalt (say “nu-halk”),
- the Kwakwaka’wakw (say “kwak-wak-ya-wak”),
- the Tlingit (say “kling-kit”),
- the Tsimshian (say “sim-she-an”)
- and the Coast Salish (say “say-lish”) people.
Is the bottom of the totem pole good?
According to Canadian naturalist, Pat Kramer—an expert on First Nations culture—the lowest figures on the totem pole are often considered the most prestigious. The higher up the figure is on a totem pole, the more representational they are.
Is it better to be higher or lower on a totem pole?
…the bottom of all totem pole is sometimes the best carved part of the whole pole. Meaning wise, the low man has a much or more meaning than other figures. So while the general meaning seems to be that higher is better, traditionally for totem poles – as is explained by NCIS – lower is better.
Is it OK to say bottom of the totem pole?
When we use ‘bottom of the totem pole’ to suggest that something is meaningless or unimportant, we are repeating and perpetuating false colonial beliefs about Indigenous cultures. We ignore the rich cultural significance of totem poles and the histories they document.