Native Regions : Masks : Baskets : Totem Poles : Salmon Recipes : Bentwood Boxes : Thunderbird : Raven : Cowichan Sweaters
The Wikipedia Encyclopedia definition states "The word "totem" is derived from the Algonkian word Dodem, roughly translating into "a spiritual non-human or animal guide.""
On her website entirely devoted to totem poles, Pat Kramer says:
"In general, totem poles, just like Great Seals and Coats of Arms mean: "This is who we are; we have prestige, we are united, and we are proud to derive from, fight for, and stand for the qualities these symbols imply."
Totem poles are emblems that symbolized where a person stood within a big family grouping-- not just a mother, father, sister, brother, but within a whole clan of relatives."
The Simon Fraser University Archeology Department site states:
"Totem Poles are carved wooden pillars made by the First Nations of the Northwest Coast.
A totem is an object, usually an animal, that serves as an emblem for a family or clan. It represents a symbolic relationship between nature and human kin groups.
Totem poles often have very interesting stories to tell.
The figures on the poles are mythical beings from the First Nation's ancestral past."