THE LAST OF THE TOTEM POLES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 121, 24 May 1941, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE LAST OF THE TOTEM POLES

His totem is the most prized possession of the north-west American Indian, but these grotesque poles, once so plentiful in Alaska and British Columbia, are getting more scarce every year. The average cedar post will not stand more than 40 years or so in wind and weather, and few genuine new ones are being built.

A totem usually represents an animal or bird. The symbolic British lion, the American eagle, and the.Canadian beaver have something in common with the totem, as have the emblems of scout patrols and certain clubs and fraternities.

The Indian totem pole is a combination of a heraldic crest and family tree, and when properly interpreted, may tell the entire family history of the owner back to the time when an ancestor met a supernatural totem which gave certain honours and powers to him and his house. Among some tribes the pole has a hollow in the rear, in which are kept the cremated remains of the one in whose honour it was built.

Manv of the tribes trace descent through the mother, and the place of honour at the top of the pole is given to the crest or clan totem of that side of the house. It may represent the Sun. guardian spirit of great warriors, or the Bear, representing mighty hunters.

The cedar posts for the totem poles were carefully selected, perhaps dragged for great distances, and erected amid elaborate ceremony. They varied from about 10 to 60 feet in height. The carver's craft descended from father to son. though sometimes different sections were done by specialists. Vegetable and mineral dyes supplied the vivid and wonderfully lasting colours.

Besides tracing the intricate story of the family descent, the totem pole may tell of unusual happenings in the life of the owner and his ancestors. One carved emblem is said to represent Captain Cook, the first white man seen by the natives of that part of the coast. Another pole presented a striking likeness of Abraham Lincoln.

Of the remaining collections of totems one of the most interesting is Totem Pole Row at Alert Bay, on the north-east shore of Vancouver Island. In the Indian village here the poles still stand by the roadway in front of the native houses.