Carving a totem pole

Carving a totem pole requires a lot of patience and ingenuity. Those who carved totem poles were considered to be exceptionally gifted, just as today’s carvers are also highly respected. The duty of carving totems was passed down from father to son.

Carvers used to have little freedom in deciding what forms they carved. The chief who commissioned a pole decided exactly what was to be carved according to conventions handed down through generations. Certain features of important figures on a totem pole are stressed to identify them. For example a raven has a prominent beak, a wolf has a long sharp muzzle and turned up snout, and a mountain goat has sharp horns and cleft hoofs.

A master carver applies his design to the log. Carving starts at the upper end of the pole and then downward. After the pole is roughly cut down to its general shape, figure patterns and other guidelines are drawn on it with charcoal.

Oversized blocks of wood for appendages such as mandibles and fins are mortised onto the log before they are carved out. Wings are made separately and then attached with wooden dowels. The Haida used to make glue by boiling down halibut fins.

Tools such as chisels, adzes, drills, and knives were made of hard stone, bone, antler, shell, and beaver teeth. Other tools included stone hammers and wooden wedges. Metal which came from Asia, and eventually from Europe, was also used to make carving tools.

Top: Carving a totem pole appendage.

Left: Totem pole carvers are highly respected artists in the Haida community.

Photo source: Vince Collison

The paint

A totem pole is usually painted after all of the carving is finished. Of course there were not always art supply stores around to buy paints form. In ancient times, paints were made from mineral pigments such as carbon, iron, and copper oxides which last a long time. Other pigments from coloured earths and seashells fade faster. These pigments were mixed with a tempera base made from salmon eggs. Colour was usually only applied to certain portions of the pole for emphasis. Today we see totem poles that are painted all over.




Left: This detail of a totem pole character's eyes shows the red, white and black paint frequently used by Haida artists.

A time of celebration

It is a big project to raise a totem pole in the traditional way. First a hole is dug to set the pole into and then the pole is ceremonially carried to the site by lots of people and the uncarved end is placed into the hole. Some people pull with long ropes while others push with long poles. If the totem pole is raised near surrounding trees, pulleys and ropes are attached to the midsection. Raising the pole is done in stages to the accompaniment of drumming, singing, and dancing.

The Haida held a big social event or “potlatch” when a totem pole was raised. The potlatch was hosted by the owner. This was an opportunity for the chief to build up his social standing, as the totem pole stood as a reminder of the great celebration. It was a time of feasting, dancing, and theatre. Stories pertaining to the crests displayed on the pole were told, as guests at the potlatch were witness to the owner’s greatness.

Totem poles normally survived only about one lifetime due to the mild and damp climate of the Pacific Northwest coast. Totem poles had their place in nature, including a lifespan that includes degeneration, decay, and a return to the earth. When a pole finally fell over, they were usually left there to rot or could also be cut up for firewood. These days many totem poles are preserved in museums for anybody to enjoy.