Totem poles are fascinating and mysterious symbols of Native American cultures.
Totem poles exist primarily in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska and British Columbia areas and were constructed primarily by Northwest Coast tribal groups including the Tlingit, Kwakiutl, Haida, Tsimshian and Chilkat.
The first totem poles were carved from mature cedar and used by family-clans in Potlatch ceremonies.
Each totem pole contains carved emblems of the family and tell a story to remind members of their family history. Often the meanings of the symbols and story they told were known only by the members of the particular clan or the artist.
The purpose of this web site is to pique the interests of young children with totem pole crafts by providing an overview of totem pole art and cultures. This site is not intended to be an in depth study. For more information visit the Totem Pole resources page for some great, educational web sites.
Many of the images are based upon photographs of existing totem pole art works currently on display in national public parks, museums and in historical reference material. Most of the images are presented individually, not in their original totem pole form so children may mix and match to create their own stories and legends..
In addition to the authentic representations, there are many whimsical designs of commonly known birds, insects and animals designed using totem artistic styles as a guide. The whimsical designs are clearly identified as such to avoid any confusion or misconceptions during the learning process.
Some images in this site are based upon existing, historical, art works currently on display in national public parks, museums and in 'out of print' reference material, dating back at least 100 years or more to avoid infringement of any copyright or intellectual property rights. If you notice an error or an infringement of copyright please let me know and I will make the correction.
