The Story Of Totem Carvings

Totem poles are monumental sculptures carved from trees, typically Western Redcedar, by a number of Native American cultures along the Pacific northwest coast of North America.Basically, before contact, Natives in this part of the world had a different kinship system than we do today. A totem pole served as the emblem of a family or clan, its unity, the rights to which people in each clan were entitled, and as a reminder of each clans link to a spirit-ancestor. Totem poles hold messages by those that carved them. Carvings were symbols that may tell a story of the carver, such as his part not just in his own family but his standing within a tribe. Carvings such as an eagle could mean pride in his tribe.The raising of a totem pole