Totem poles (Essay Sample)

Totem poles
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Totem poles
The Pacific Northwest region holds the Haida-Gwai of the First Nations. The First Nations believe in raising carved Totem poles as a way of celebrating peace within the region. The first nations’ communities create as monuments to honor and represent histories, people, events, or ancestry. In addition, they design them differently to serve various ceremonial and architectural purposes. However, the communities use the red cedars to make Totem poles because they are available in the region.
The practice of raising Totem poles has been done by the first nations for over 130 years. The poles display crest animals or beings marking the lineage of a particular family. They also support the powerful privileges and rights held by the family overtime. In addition, the Totem poles also document histories and stories familiar to particular clan or family members.
A totem pole features symbolic and stylized animal, human, and supernatural forms. A pole can be a visual representation of kinship, depicting clan membership and family crests. For example, in the northern Vancouver Island, some Kwakwaka’wakw families from the Thunderbird Clan will feature family legends and a thunderbird crest on their poles. However, several crests are common among the coastal First Nations. They include: eagle, grizzly bear, salmon, raven, frog, thunderbird, killer whale and wolf. 
Totem poles are of several designs that serve different purposes. Some of the communities carve totem poles with animal or human forms and use them as house posts. These poles decorate the longhouses especially at the main entrance. Totem poles can also be in form of mortuary poles to serve as headstone and tomb of the deceased. The first nations consider totem poles for commemorative or memorial purpose created to honor the deceased person by her or his successor.
Carving totem poles need both artistic skills and understanding of the forest ecology and cultural histories. Most of the poles are created from western red cedars because they are straight grained and soft to curve. Before harvesting the red cedar tree, a ceremony is performed by the coastal first nations’ communities. The ceremony shows respect and gratitude in honor of the cedar tree. Furthermore, the communities believe that the tree has life just like the human being and has its own uniqueness and personality.
Totem poles have a significant socio-cultural role in various first nations’ communities. Most of the first nations honor lifting of a totem with totem pole raising ceremonies. These ceremonies are held concurrently with a potlatch or feast. In the ceremonies the crests’ stories and importance of the totem poles are told. In addition, communities use poles to honor the life of an elder. They may also commission the poles to celebrate a significant milestone or event.
In conclusion, raising carved Totem poles is a common practice, in the First Nations, done for over 130 years. The First nations view the act of raising totem poles as a practice of celebrating the protection of Haida-Gwai region. The Totem poles mark the lineage of a particular family and support powerful privileges and rights of that family. In addition, a totem pole can be a visual representation of kinship depicting clan membership and family crests. However, ...