INDIAN TOTEM POLES

The totem was the British Columbia Indian's "Coat of Arms". Totem poles are unique to the north west coast of B.C. and lower Alaska. They were carved from western red cedar and each carving tells of a real or mythical event. They were not idols, nor were they worshipped. Each carving on each pole has a meaning; the eagle represents the kingdom of the air; the whale, the lordship of the sea; the wolf, the genius of the land; and the frog, the transitional link between land and sea.