Help needed for Totem Pole carving

[emjay6]

Hi all.

First of all; sorry about my English. I'm Danish.

I work at a childrens day-care center, and in the upcoming summer holiday, we will have at "theme-week" about the Lakota-indians.
One of the activities will be doing is to make our own totempole. (approx 6-8 feet)

Being from Denmark, there's not alot of info in the library about Totem-carving.

I'we been looking all over the www to find some good stories of people carving Totem Poles, but haven't had a lot of success.

Can you recommend some sites or give me some pointers of how to go around this task.

BTW: the kids are between 7-10 years old and will (of course) be supervised and helped (a lot) by adults.

Thanks in advance
Michael Jensen
Aalborg, Denmark

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

emjay, I am not sure of this, being from East of there, but I don't believe the Lakotas used totem poles as such. They did/do recognize tribal and individual totems, but as I understand it do not carve poles as the tribes of the NorthWest do. I believe, to the Lakota a totem is loosely translated as a "power animal." Probably the best way to describe it would be the national bird of the U.S. is the bald eagle, so that would be our totem or power animal. Hoping there's a member of the Lakota tribe here to confirm that.

[emjay6]

Hi Plain_Ol_Ed.

Thanks for your answer.

Not really the news I wanted to get I guess I don't tell the kids about this.

The kids are looking forward to making the Totem Pole. And even though we want to be as autentic to the Lakota heritage as possible, the design of the Totem, is not that importent.
We pretty much just want to make a nice totem pole - that kind a looks like a Native American Totem Pole.

So any help about Totem Pole carving would be nice.

Thanks again

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

O.K. Rick in Seattle has carved a totem pole and am pretty sure he's well versed in their construction. He hangs out on this forum, but don't recall seeing him in the past couple of days. You may try sending him and email asking the question.

rick@littleshavers.com

is his address. Don't think he'll mind.

Ed

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Look up the northwestern nations, or western Canada, maybe you can find something there?

[Shimmy]

Try this site.

http://users.imag.net/~sry.jkramer/nativetotems/

[rick-in-seattle]

Michael,
To my knowledge, the Lakota did not carve Totems as we think of them.

The totem is a record of ancestory; in NorthWest native culture a totem was normally commissioned upon the death of a family leader.

I say commissioned, because tradition required the family to employ a carver who was not a family member.

(This was the first carver's union) Just joking!

The Lakota did make Calendar sticks, Talking sticks, Coup sticks, and possibly even Booger sticks.

I am guessing, but anything a Lakota tribe carved would need to be easily carried, and thousand pound logs do not fit in that catagory.

[squbrigg]

emjay6........ sorry to object, but it is really a disservice if you pass on misinformation like that to your class. I know you wouldn't tell your class that Vikings wore dresses and brought flowers to their enemy! Our Lakota brothers would be offended as would our North West brothers. On this board we have several First Nations peoples, fine artists in their own areas. Whitecree lives in the NorthWest where the real totems were/are made and Fishgap 's ancestors come from there.

I suggest, with respect, please reconsider and take Rick's advice. The Lakota made several smaller style carvings traditionally, all that your student could make as well. As a teacher you owe them the respect of getting it right. Perhaps rename the theme week to Hiada, Salish, Kwakiutl, or Tsimshian indian. They are all North West tribes and have their own art, including totoms.

http://www.crazycrow.com/ try this web site for some ideas. Or this one
http://www.crazycrow.com/links_nativeam/tribes.php or this one on totoms http://www.spruceroots.org/PoleSite/PoleComp.html


Bob

[Lynn O. Doughty]

Come on you guys! When I was a kid we made Totem Poles out of paper, clay, whatever and never had any idea which specific tribe was actually associated with them. When you say Indians, even in the good ole' USA, the majority of kids of the age we're talking about here will probably say, Bows & Arrows, Tipi's, War Paint, and Totem Poles! Have we become so politically correct that even the Kids can't have fun anymore?

Maybe, just maybe, one of those students might just get interested enough in this class project that he or she goes on to really find out what Native Americans are about. To that end I offer the following....

www.inquiry.net/outdoor/native/totem/index.htm

[AlArchie]

Lynn has a good point. Many of the regional and tribal symbols have been made generic and are used by people throughout the country. Many of the NA sites here in the midwest boast "totem poles", although they have adopted more localized themes and designs. The tipi, which was a home to nomadic plains people has come to represent the standard Indian dwelling to many. How many recognice the hogan, the wikiup, and the longhouse as NA dwellings? Everyone knows the tipi. The trailing, feathered warbonnet is also recognized worldwide, but the hair roach and aprons of the woodland tribes are far less recognizable.

I agree with Lynn that carving a totem pole can be a fun project for students in and of itself. It can also be used as a cultural icon to help better understand the vast cultural differences in what many consider as "THE" American Indian culture. The Native American cultures were and are, no more alike, than say Eastern Hungarian and French cultures. Or Danish and Greek. That doesn't mean that when studying Europe, we can't be intrigued by early Russian egg decorating or Spanish wood carving.

I sent Michael a pattern for a Haida inspired totem pole......it sounds like he will be looking a little further into the cultural differences that are presented, but I hope he does have the class carve that totem pole!

Al