Totem Poles Essay
The Wonder of Totem Poles
The discovery of totem poles were first recorded by white sailors in coastal Pacific Northwest when European explorers arrived in the region in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. French Europeans, upon first visiting the coastal areas of modern day Southeastern Alaska and British Columbia wrote of totems as legitimate, if not elegant, art forms. They were surprised that hunting/fishing peoples were creating such masterful art. The ornately painted and carved monoliths towered over the facades of homes and stood proudly throughout the villages along the rivers and coastline. Long freestanding poles made from cedar trees with effigies of beings (typically represented by animals, but not void of humans) carved …show more content…
i). Some find this term as derogatory so, for the purposes of this writing they may also be referred to by the acceptable name of ‘crest’ poles. Crest poles are commonly thought of as the tall poles bearing carvings of animals, marine life, birds, and human effigies standing along the beach villages of the inland passage mainland, islands and its plentiful rivers. However, crest poles take on many forms; Memorial poles, Potlatch poles, exterior and interior House poles, House Frontal poles, Ridicule poles and Mortuary poles. In modern times most are termed Commemorative Poles. Most poles tell of the genealogy of the resident, its clan and even their status in the community. The poles carried intricate abstract designs which distinguished the carvings as a highly skilled and long apprenticed art form. “This art form originated in the narrow strip of land, islands, and a few inland rivers, along the north Pacific coast of the North American continent, the area between the Pacific Ocean and the formidable coastal mountain barrier.” (Map
The discovery of totem poles were first recorded by white sailors in coastal Pacific Northwest when European explorers arrived in the region in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. French Europeans, upon first visiting the coastal areas of modern day Southeastern Alaska and British Columbia wrote of totems as legitimate, if not elegant, art forms. They were surprised that hunting/fishing peoples were creating such masterful art. The ornately painted and carved monoliths towered over the facades of homes and stood proudly throughout the villages along the rivers and coastline. Long freestanding poles made from cedar trees with effigies of beings (typically represented by animals, but not void of humans) carved …show more content…
i). Some find this term as derogatory so, for the purposes of this writing they may also be referred to by the acceptable name of ‘crest’ poles. Crest poles are commonly thought of as the tall poles bearing carvings of animals, marine life, birds, and human effigies standing along the beach villages of the inland passage mainland, islands and its plentiful rivers. However, crest poles take on many forms; Memorial poles, Potlatch poles, exterior and interior House poles, House Frontal poles, Ridicule poles and Mortuary poles. In modern times most are termed Commemorative Poles. Most poles tell of the genealogy of the resident, its clan and even their status in the community. The poles carried intricate abstract designs which distinguished the carvings as a highly skilled and long apprenticed art form. “This art form originated in the narrow strip of land, islands, and a few inland rivers, along the north Pacific coast of the North American continent, the area between the Pacific Ocean and the formidable coastal mountain barrier.” (Map