TOTEM POLES IN STANLEY PARK, VANCOUVER, B.C. - Introduction - The Totem Pole

Sep 28, 2026

Vancouver has long been known for Aboriginal totem poles, which preserve aspects of coastal communities’ social life and traditional artistic practice in British Columbia. The work explains how these monumental carvings emerged from cedar-based resources and functioned as symbolic records of family crests and clan history. It introduces totem poles as a cedar-wood column with meaningful figures, clarifies common misconceptions about totemism and worship, and outlines major pole types such as memorial, mortuary, house-front poles, and house posts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages32

Reading Time49 min

AccessFree to download

INTRODUCTION

TOTEM POLES

WHAT IS A TOTEM POLE?

TYPES OF TOTEM POLES

Memorial poles

Mortuary poles

House-front poles

House posts

THE TOTEM POLE CARVERS

TOTEMPOLES□F BRITISH10000COLUMBIAs.W.A.GUNN,M.D.EY PARK Digitized by the Internet Archivein 2021 with funding fromKahle/Austin Foundation https://archive.org/details/totempolesofbrit0000unse GUNN,SISVANFE82g1987SE301998FEB 2098928198MAY 102001DC151989 Y 5MAY 031991MAY131991EEB0子APR254e4入OCT0419S95FEB 271996MAR 1119961996 THE TOTEM POLES IN STANLEY PARK,VANCOUVER, B,C, MAR 09198920 MAR.200 空 THE TOTEM POLESIN STANLEY PARK VANCOUVER,B.C. S.W.A.GUNN,M.D. Kwe-Kwala-Gila Copyright 1965 WHITEROCKS PUBLICATIONS CSecond Edition,1965.Fourth Impression,1968 × # INTRODUCTION By ROBERT J.DRAKECurator,Vancouver City Museum Vancouver has long beennoted for its aboriginal totempoles.They reflect past aspects inthe social life of the people whowere the original inhabitants ofcoastal British Columbia.Asrelics they primarily show localprimitive art form. Adequately illustrated and de-scriptive,Dr.Gunn's series ofaccounts will fill a need broughtabout by previous accounts byRev.G.Raley and Rev.J.Good-fellow and the classic reconstruc-tions by Chief Joe Capilano andMr.William Reid. In Canada's most outdoororientated climate for activitiesand with an expanding museumworld,this group of poles repre-sents an unique outdoor exhibi-tion.Thus,the display of colourcombined with symbolic formpresents the obvious totemic im-portance in the life of formerdwellers of the Conifer CoastForest. I hope that other such busyprofessional people will take thetime to do similar studies dealingwith British Columbia nativematerial culture. Left:Kwakiutl carving Cover:Haida carving—Moon-Hawk;detail by Bill Reid. # TOTEM POLES The totem pole,more than anything else,has come to symbolizethe Indians living on the shores of British Columbia.No otherpeople in the world have produced an aboriginal art in similarconception,significance and excellence as have the natives of thearea known as the North-West Pacific Coast. Geographically isolated and for many centuries outside themain currents of war and commerce,the inhabitants of theselands developed a civilization which was unique in its way oflife,its social structure and its artistic achievements.Living ona narrow coastline bounded by towering mountains to the eastand the largest ocean to the west,these people naturally madeuse of the abundant fish and everpresent wood for their day today requirements.From the evergreen forests of cedar came allthe raw material to build houses,construct canoes,make dishes,pots,spoons,weapons,fish-hooks,and even weave their garments.It was therefore equally natural that the same material shouldbe used for the portrayal of the rich lore and language,which,having no writing,they expressed in monumental carvings.Thuswere born the totem poles. # WHAT IS A TOTEM POLE? Generally speaking,a Totem Pole is a column of cedar woodcarved with symbolic figures having a definite meaning.Theemblematic representations of animals,birds,fish,mythologicalbeings or supernatural beasts serve as signs or crests of a familyor Clan.From the socio-psychological point of view they are not,strictly speaking,totems.In real totemism an animal is actuallybelieved to have been the ancestor of the clan which bore itsname and worshipped it.Among the Indians each clan had avariety of crests and no belief of descent from crest-animals;thetotems were respected but never worshipped,a point which isoften misinterpreted.Indeed,the Indians had no priesthood ororganized religion,the main body of their beliefs being a seriesof myths and legends.A totem pole will be better understood ifit is looked upon as the equivalent of a European coat-of-arms oremblem of heraldry.It is particular to this coast,no other peoplehaving such aboriginal craftsmanship and symbolic art. # TYPES OF TOTEM POLES Totem poles were made for a variety of purposes.Generallythey can be divided into four categories:memorial,mortuary,frontal poles and house posts. 1.MEMORIAL POLES were heraldic representati

FAQs

What does the document say totem poles symbolize in British Columbia?

Totem poles symbolize the Indians living on the shores of British Columbia and reflect past aspects of their social life and artistic achievements.

How does the document define what a totem pole is?

A totem pole is described as a cedar column carved with symbolic figures that have definite meanings, representing animals, birds, fish, mythological beings, or supernatural beasts as family or clan signs.

What different types of totem poles does the document list?

It divides totem poles into four categories: memorial poles, mortuary poles, house-front poles, and house posts, each with distinct purposes and placement.

Sep 28, 2026

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