Totem poles (Gyáa'aang in the Haida language) are monumental carvings, a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They are usually made from large trees, mostly western red cedar, by First Nations and indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest coast including northern Northwest Coast Haida, Tlingit, and Tsimshian communities in Southeast Alaska and British Columbia, Kwakwaka'wakw and Nuu-chah-nulth communities in southern British Columbia, and the Coast Salish communities in Washington and British Columbia^[2]. The word totem derives from the Algonquian (most likely Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe)) word odoodem [oˈtuːtɛm],
"(his) kinship group". The carvings may symbolize or commemorate
ancestors, cultural beliefs that recount familiar legends, clan
lineages, or notable events. The poles may also serve as functional
architectural features, welcome signs for village visitors, mortuary
vessels for the remains of deceased ancestors, or as a means to publicly
ridicule someone. They may embody a historical narrative of
significance to the people carving and installing the pole. Given the
complexity and symbolic meanings of totem pole carvings, their placement
and importance lies in the observer's knowledge and connection to the
meanings of the figures and the culture in which they are embedded.


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