Totem poles are tall wooden sculptures made by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America, including groups like the Haida, Tlingit, and Coast Salish. These beautiful and colorful poles tell stories, represent clans or families, and honor animals or important events.
Totem poles have been around for a long time! The first totem poles were created over 2,000 years ago. This means they started to be made around the time when the first large villages were forming in this region. The poles were often carved from large trees, like cedar, which was plentiful in the area.
As you learn more about them, you’ll find out that totem poles can be seen in many places now, but they were originally made for specific cultural reasons within the communities of the Indigenous peoples. They served as a way to share stories and represent important values important to each group.
So, to sum it up, totem poles were first found and made a long time ago, more than 2,000 years back, and they are an important part of the history and culture of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest!