Totem Poles A Story Told Through Pictures
What is a Totem Pole? • "Totem pole " is the name given by Europeans to the carved wooden pillars made by Indian villages of the Northwest coast. • The basic idea is that the differences existing in nature are used to identify or stand for groups of people most likely families. • Animals are used to represent the people in the family. • The qualities of the animals are the reasons they are chosen for each family member.
Totem poles come in all sizes – depending on the story it is telling.
This is a totem pole that represents a family. What are the different animals you see here?
Why do you think this animal was chosen? What is it and what do you think it represents?
Each animal is detailed and colourful. The colours are symbolic too.
What do Colours Symbolize? • Black Black is the color of the night, and of "evil." Black can also be a color of elegance or class (such as a black-tie only event, and black evening gowns.) Black can also represent ideas such as power, wealth, and mystery. • Blue Blue is the color of water and the sea, and can also symbolize peace, calm, stability, security, loyalty, sky, water, cold, technology, and depression.
Colours… • Brown Brown represents the ideas of earth, hearth, home, the outdoors, comfort, endurance, simplicity, and comfort. • Gold Gold is also associated with royalty. • Green Green can represent nature, the environment, good luck, youth, vigor, jealousy, envy, and misfortune.
More Colours… • Orange Orange can represent energy, balance, warmth, enthusiasm, flamboyant, and demanding of attention. • Pink Pink is normally a color associated with girls and femininity. Pink is considered a color of good health and life - we speak of people being "in the pink" or the "freshness" of a newborn babe.
Even More Colours… • Red Basically red symbolizes strong emotions, or things of strong emotions rather than intellectual ideas. For example, red can symbolize excitement, energy, speed, strength, danger, passion, and aggression. • Silver/Grey Silver/Grey symbolizes security, reliability, intelligence, modesty, maturity, conservative, old age, sadness, and boring.
The Rest of the Colours • White White is a sacred and pure color. • Purple Purple can represent royalty, spirituality, nobility, ceremony, mysterious, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, arrogance, and mourning • Yellow Yellow can symbolize joy, happiness, optimism, and idealism.
Here are some examples of totem poles.
Now it’s your turn to make your own representing your family!
