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Maybe You Can Walk to Canada!
You can see on the map that families living in the northern part of Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Illinois, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Main and eastern Alaska are very near the Canadian border.
We could take a train, a boat, a car or bus, but today we're winging it to the Canadian province of British Columbia (often called "B.C.") in my new, shiny air taxi.
There's lots to see in B.C.-
Beautiful Butchard Gardens - made from a quarry pit when it ran out of
limestone. Talk about recycling!
A Giant Collection of Miniature Scenes - Miniature World - Ever wish you were the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk? Here's your chance.
 
Whale Watching - Pack your binoculars, then catch a charter boat or ferry. Killer whales are everywhere.
Chemainus - a town with a spectacular mural on almost every house and shop wall.
 
Click here for more info
BUT all that is for another day. We have a single mission - to find real totem poles and learn as much as we can about them.
Yes, yes, there ARE totem poles in the United States, but we've set our airplane down in Canada and we'll be searching for Canadian totems.
So Exactly What IS a Totem Pole?
A hand-carved wooden sculpture. It's usually made of Western red cedar - a tree that is rot and insect resistant.
The figures on the totems stand for real animals, objects, people, and, sometimes, supernatural beings.
Early totems were carved with stone tools. As metals parts of boats washed ashore, and European and Asian settlers arrived, the carvers began to use metal tools.
Real totem poles are made by Northwest Coast native people with a totem tradition. These poles are made primarily with hand tools and western red cedar trees.
"Low Man on the Totem Pole"
Ever heard anyone say that? This is a saying that describes someone without much importance. The truth is just the opposite! Figures carved at the bottom of totem poles are usually the most important. They are carved by the best carvers and have the most detail because they are seen up close.
Who Carves the Figures?
A master carver usually makes the design and lays it out on the log. Apprentice carvers often work on the upper figures.
Some groups paint their totem poles bright colors, some groups use a little paint, some use no paint at all. Here are some of the Canadian native peoples and the kind of totems they are know for:
Haida - a little paint
Bella Coola - highly painted in bright colors
Tsimshian - tall poles
Kwakiutl - often thunderbird at top, highly painted
Tlingit - (Alaska) - red and pastel colors
Salish - smaller figures and poles
Nootka - tall and small poles
  
How Long Does It Take to Make a Totem Pole?
It depends on how many figures are on the pole, how tall it is, and how many people are carving, but it usually takes 6 months to a year.
What Are Totem Poles For?
Many believe that totem poles were worshipped, but they were not.
Canada's First Peoples had no written language. In many ways, the totem poles substituted for written language.
 
Totem Poles Can:
- Tell a story
- Recall a special event
- Show pride in native heritage
- Share a joke
- Remember a special person and his/her deeds
- Tell that people are kin to each other - this includes house poles inside and outside houses. Sometimes poles even have holes at the bottom big enough to walk through for a front door!
Ooops! It's Late. Where DID the Time Go?
Time to crank up the engine and head toward home. Great visit with our neighbors to the north!
For you kids in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida, it's going to be a long ride home. Here's a little challenge to pass the time -
Now It's Your Turn!
From the information below, how many figures can you name on the poles?
LOOK FOR:
Owl - small triangular peak - big eyes
Thunderbird - very powerful eagle - magical - usually spread wings
Eagle and Raven - beaks stick out
Killer Whale - Orca - long flat sides, fish tale, can be black and white
Salmon or Flounder - flat sides, round eyes
Grizzly Bear - bear paws, snout, ears
Frog - usually shown from above
Mosquito or Hummingbird - long, thin beak
Mountain Goat - horns and hoofed feet
Human - face, hands, feet of a person
Baby - usually under an adult
Moon - big circle
Sun - big circle with rays
Amazing Totem Poles
   
   
Back Home in the USA
Check out what's happening at Lincoln Heights Elementary School in Fuquay-Varina, NC. After serious study, Mr. Jim Hunt's 5th grade art class made their own totem poles.
The cool canoe, made by students and parents, is a perfect place to read and view the totems.
Mr. Hunt has always been fascinated with totem poles because, as he puts it, "they are magnificent, large, awesome carvings!" Here's Mr. Hunt holding his son Miles while posing with the totems.
Mrs. Rachel Bell, the assistant librarian at Lincoln Heights, has developed a real fondness for the totem figures.
Matthew Thompson (middle schooler in Stafford, VA) and Karen Thompson (third grader) listen as Franklin Thompson (fifth grader) explains how the totem poles were made.
1) Sona Tubes (concrete forms) were sawed into sections with a band saw. This is the part for grown-ups.
2) Students make preliminary sketches of their part of the totem pole.
3) Each tube section is covered with "Paris Craft" fabric.
4) Styrofoam hands, noses, teeth, eyes, eyes are cut out and pasted on.
5) Each section is painted with a limited palette: shades of brown for the wood-look, blue, green, red, black, white.
6) Sections are screwed together to boards inside the tubes.
7) Time to complete the project: 3 weeks - 1 class a day, 5 days a week.
Many totem poles tell a story. Lincoln Heights students told their own adventures with their totems. Can you "read" their stories?
 
Want to Find Out More?
Spirit Transformed, A Journey from Tree to Totem by Roy Henry Vickers. Raincoast Books, Vancouver. 1996. ISBN 1-55192-015-8.
A Traveler's Guide to Aboriginal B.C. by Cheryl Coull, Whitecap Books,
Vancouver, 1996. ISBN 1-55110-402-4.
Totem Poles by Pat Kramer. Altitude Publishing, Canada, LTD, Canadaian Rockies/Vancouver, 1999. ISBN 1-55153-616-1.
Totem Poles of the Northwest by D. Allen, Hancock House Publishers, Blaine, WA, 1977. ISBN 0-919654-83-5
Click Here To Fly Home!
All images and text copyright Ann Fearrington, 2000
The flags found on this page are copyright of 3dflags.com
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