TOTEMS
symbolism of
don't be shy,
Introduction
Totemism is the practice of having an inanimate object or being as the emblem of the family. The word totem is derived from the Ojibwe word 'oodoodem', meaning "kinship group" signifying a blood relationship.
The totem adopted by a clan or a family, mostly an animal, is an object of religious veneration for the tribal community. The group's members are forbidden to kill, eat or hunt a totem. Groups, clans or families who practised totemism believe that the totem bestows and protects life's blessings. Their conviction in their beliefs involves rituals and ceremonies intended to celebrate and honor their totems.
Totem Poles
Totem Poles are sculptures carved onto large trees by cultures of people of Pacific Northwest Coast of America.Totem poles are typically carved from the highly rot-resistant trunks of Thuja plicata (giant cedar), which eventually decays in the moist rainy climate.
Figures carved on totem poles could be humans, animals or other mythological creatures, whose association was with the lineage of the tribe.. Totem poles have unique features and colors depending upon the clan or tribe. each color, symbol, and position has its own meaning and signifigance.
Totem poles were made to fill a variety of needs, but their primary purpose was to comemorate people or special events. Totem poles are a sign of affluence, a display of wealth. they are expensive., and are generally found near the houses of tribal chiefs.
There were six tribes who practised Totemism
 Tlingit Totem Poles |  Haida Totem Poles |  Bella Coola Totem Poles |
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 Coast Salish Totem Poles |  Tsimshian Totem Poles |  Chinook Totem Poles |
Types Of Poles
This pole symbolizes the generosity of the person who sponsored the Potlach ceremony.
This pole records any supernatural encounter.
This pole comemorates the life of an important person.
These poles are used as grave poles, markers or mortuary totem poles..
Entryway pole identifies the owner and family of the house. It is placed at the entry of the house, through which the famly walks into the house.
This pole is a symbolic reminder of debts, quarrels, murders and other questionable occurances. It is also called a Shame pole.
This pole is situated at waterfronts and identifies the ownership of the water and surrounding area.
Religious Beliefs
Groups, clans or families that practise Totemism believe that the totem bestows and protects life’s blessings. Their conviction in their beliefs involves rituals and ceremonies intended to celebrate and honor the totem. The term Totemism is often used to characterize specific traits in the social organisation and religion of different types of people.
Totem poles were erected in the front of a Native Indian's home and would show the ancestry and the social rank of the family. The figures carved on the Totem poles might be humans, animals, or other creatures and might also display mythological and legendary images, usually Animal Spirits, whose significance was their association with the lineage of the tribe. Each figure carved on a Totem Pole represented a type of family crest or family legend in the form of pictographs that were particularly relevant to Totemism
At this point it should be emphasised that Totem Poles were not worshipped within the belief of Totemism. Totem poles were made to fill a variety of needs, but their primary purposes were to commemorate specific people or special events. Authentic totem poles were carved by special carvers who follow the old rules of traditional symbols, legends, stories and family crests. The decision and design to create a Totem Pole and the raising of a completed Totem Pole was accompanied by rituals such as the Potlatch ceremony, Totem Pole Raising ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and Spiritual Healing ceremonies.
The idea and concept behind Totemism is that people have a spiritual connection or kinship with creatures or objects in nature, making the practice very similar to Animism.
Animism
Animism is a belief based on the spiritual idea that the universe, and all natural objects within the universe, have souls or spirits. Animists believe that souls or spirits exist, not only in humans, but also in animals, plants, trees, rocks and all natural forces and phenomena such as the rain, sun and moon.
Many Native American tribes hold the belief that each of their people have animal totems that are spirit guides who might appear in dreams, or Vision Quests, in the form of an animal. These Animal Totems, or spirit guides walk through life with the animists, teaching and guiding them, and in some instances protecting them.
Animism is not a religion as such but is mixed with other beliefs that, taken as a whole have strong religious connotations. The idea and concept behind Animism, and the belief of Animists, is that people have a spiritual connection or kinship with creatures or objects in nature. The practice of Animism is very similar to Totemism in the fact that both the beliefs worship animals and other beings and treat them with reverence.
Artwork
Colors
The meaning of colors was important to Native American Indians as each color held a special sacred symbolism. The meaning of colors changed according to the purpose they were put to. The meaning of colors used for face paint held a different symbolism than those colors used for War Paint. The Northwest tribes constructed totem poles that have unique features and colors depending upon the clan or tribe. The meaning of colors, ornamentation, and painted decorations used to adorn sacred Prayer sticks and Talking Sticks also had special meanings and were chosen for the attributes of the colors and how these might influence the outcome of an important event. The Circle of Life, as depicted in the Medicine Wheel also contained different color meanings and symbolism.
The meaning of colors on Totem Poles are :
Black Power and Strength
Red Blood, war & bravery
White Purity, peace, and death
Yellow Symbol of the sun symbolizing light and happiness
Green Represents Nature - the hills, Colors and mountains
Blue Rivers, oceans, lakes & sky - Symbolizes sincerity and happiness
Purple Symbolizes reverence, and distant mountains
Design
Six tribes of Northwest Native Indians created their own specific artwork in the form of Totem Poles. Totem Pole Art is a traditional form of tree art encompassing wood carving and painting. Totem pole art consists of pictorial and graphic carvings that are made into trees by using sharp thin knife blades to carve into soft bark depicting symbols and figures such as animals, that represented the emblems of clans or families. The carvings are often painted. Totem Pole Art has a relatively short life span, lasting for about 100 years.
Every totem pole is carved from one log, except for the protruding parts such as the wings, beaks and fins which are added-on pieces. The types of trees most often used to create Northwest Totem Pole art were the different types of cedar trees, usually red cedar trees but sometime the yellow cedar variety.
Cedars were the most suitable for creating Totem Pole art for the following reasons:
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Height - Cedar trees are tall with a large diameter
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Branches - Cedar trees have fewer branches than other trees native to the area such as the Alder tree
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Needles - Their needles are very flat and soft unlike the sharp needles of many other trees
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Carving - The soft wood of a cedar tree has a straight grain and is easy to carve
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Preservation - Cedar trees are the least prone to rotting & have a lifespan of about 100 years.
Totem pole art is a reflection of the customs and heritage of Northwest Indians. Each specimen of Totem Pole Art tells a story. The stories tell of the animals and supernatural beings who helped found family lineages or commemorated special events in the lives of the people or the legends or the tribes and their cultural histories. The design and painting of the carvings and symbols on a Totem Pole require a knowledge of the tribal history and traditions of each tribe.
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Carved and painted figures and images are stacked one on top of another
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It is important that the design of the figures depicted on the totem pole flow effortlessly from one figure to another
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All figures and symbols are interlocked and connected
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Some figures are designed in a crouching position whilst others stand upright
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Swirling, oval shapes, also known as “ovoid” design, are common forms of design elements
artwork -
Totem Pole artists use the grain and natural color of the wood to capture the sense of life and movement in the carving
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The animals, symbols and supernatural creatures depicted on a Totem Pole had a special meaning, characteristics and significance
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Supernatural creatures featured in Totem Pole Art included the Thunderbird, the Sisiutl serpent, the copper frog and the Kolus bird
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Some totem poles featured deeply etched surfaces and were designed with jutting wings and beaks, as shown in the pictures below
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The position of figures on the pole were significant
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Each totem pole design has regional characteristics
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The Haida tribe often place three Watchmen on top of their totems
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Each tribe, clan or family had special animal totems and their poles were associated with specific colors
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The colors had special meanings and significance, some colors symbolized the four cardinal points
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The Totem Pole was designed and carved in 3 sections - the bottom, middle and top sections
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The bottom section required the most attention and importance as this would be seen close up
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Totem poles are read from bottom to top
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The artist uses small depictions of small animals, symbols or patterns to fill 'blank spots around the main figures