Totem Poles

The age of the practice of carving poles along the northwest coast has not been positively established as wood is prone to rot very quickly in the wet coastal climate. This being the case, oral histories and documentary evidence indicate that the monumental carvings found along the coast predate contact with Europeans. The earliest recorded sighting of a carved pole was by fur trader John Bartlett of Boston in 1791. He sketched a tall, carved column built into the front centre of a plank house.

Most evidence indicates that carved poles originated with the northern peoples of the coast then spread south along the coast and up the major river valleys of British Columbia and nearly to Puget Sound in Western Washington State. The only coastal people who did not have these poles were the coast Salish; they had large carved planks attached to the inside and/or outside of their ceremonial dance houses.

After contact with Europeans, the influx of trade ships arriving on the coast brought about a proliferation of metal bladed tools along with an increase of wealth for chiefs and other high ranking individuals. The tragic loss of life due to disease, which was also brought about by contact with these new trading partners, similarly impacted art for display on parts of the coast. As people who held title and high ranking social positions perished from infectious diseases like influenza, measles and smallpox, competition for these now vacant titles was conducted through potlatching and the artistic production that is sol closely tied to the potlatch system. This combination of new wealth, better tools and vacant social positions proliferated the commissioning of new and larger poles and dramatically increased the number of poles produced along the coast.

There is considerable variation in the carving traditions of the Northwest Coast. Each language group and community has its own stylistic and oral traditions and, working within those traditions, each artist has their own style. Poles continue to be carved and erected in the traditional manner throughout the coast and the act of raising a pole is still a prestigious and expensive undertaking that must be done in the context of the appropriate ceremony and witnessed through a potlatch.

The carver works from the base of the pole up by roughing in the images with an adze, a curved knife and sometimes a chisel. After the rough outline is complete, the artist starts at the base again and refines the design and roughs in the details. To prevent the log from drying and cracking, the carver keeps it damp by pouring water over the areas being worked on before starting work and at the end of each day. Finally the carver takes care of the details such as feathers, claws, cross hatching on a beavers tail and so on. The artist then adds any projections such as beaks, fins, outstretched arms or wings, by carefully carving mortice and tenon joints. The projections are held in place by driving two or more wooden pegs as required. Most carvers adze the carved surface all over to give it a textured look.

In early times paint was applied sparingly, if it was applied at all. This was done mainly to accent the eyebrows, mouth, nostrils and other features. Though different cultural groups had different preferences, in general, red, black, white and blue-green were the colours used. When commercial paints were introduced, carvers often used them with great enthusiasm until some poles were totally covered in paint.

Traditionally, the artists who carve poles receive considerable payment for their labour, especially if they were famous for their work. The people who felled the tree, transported it and helped to raise it also received payment.

Once complete, the carved cedar log has to be taken to the site of its raising. A hundred or more people are needed to carry a large pole. The raising of a pole is to be accompanied by a potlatch, which includes feasting, gift giving, dancing, speeches, drumming and singing. The carver of the pole, wearing their tools around their waist, dance around the newly finished pole in celebration. The sculptured work of art then comes under critical judgement from onlookers, who appraise and discuss its size, design and the quality of work.