Totem Poles

An Illustrated Guide

By Marjorie M. Halpin
Categories: Indigenous Studies, Regional & Cultural Studies, Canadian Studies, Social Sciences, Anthropology, History, Art & Performance Studies, Indigenous Art
Publisher: UBC Press
Paperback : 9780774801416, 64 pages, January 1981
Ebook (EPUB) : 9780774845182, 64 pages, January 2011
Ebook (PDF) : 9780774857819, 64 pages, January 1981

Table of contents

Foreword

Introduction

Indian Cultures of the Northwest Coast

Wealth

Family

Mythology

Ceremony

Carving

What is a Totem Pole?

Totemism

Totem Poles

Totem Pole Types

The Antiquity of Totem Poles

Totem Poles Today

Contemporary Sculpture

The Raven and the First Men

Suggestions on How to Look at Totem Poles

1 The Skill of the Carver

2 Recognizing Life Forms

3 Differences in Cultural Styles

List of Totem Poles and Other Large Sculptures on Display in the U.B.C. Museum of Anthropology and on its Grounds

Suggested Reading

Photographic Credits

Description

The massive wood carvings unique to the Indian peoples of the Northwest Coast arouse a sense of wonder in all who see them. This guide helps the reader to understand and enjoy the form and meaning of totem poles and other sculptures. The author describes the origin and place of totem poles in Indian culture – as ancestral emblems, as expressions of wealth and power, as ceremonial objects, as mythological symbols, and as magnificent artistic works of the people of the Pacific Northwest.

Reviews

A beautifully designed and illustrated book.

- Canadian Plains Bulletin