Informative Speech On Totem Poles

“Totem Poles”

Have you ever seen or heard of a totem pole before, or have you ever wondered why people made totem poles in the first place? These are some questions that can be asked about totem poles. I want people to learn about totem poles like, who made them, what’s the meaning behind them and when do they make them in the first place. I found more interesting things on this topic than I thought I would. The first thing I want to talk about is what is the meaning of totem poles.
People make totem poles for all sorts of reasons! It varies depending on who made the totem poles. There can be more meanings behind them that people don’t know about because of how long it has been. Symbols of totem poles vary depending on the tribe or who

The tribes that were included in this were the Tlingit, Tsimshian, Haida, and more! The Tlingit still make totem poles often and have kept their traditions alive for years and hopefully will for the years to come. “Today, the Tlingit people have kept the tradition of totem pole carving alive by replicating decaying old poles and raising new poles that will portray important events to their future generations” (Schiffmann, pp. 17-19). Each tribe has their own symbols, which are usually put onto totems, and some tribes have their own individual divisions that can have smaller clans to the side. Those clans have their own symbols as well. It’s mentioned in the book Touching Spirit Bear that Edwin, a Tlingit elder, is from the Killer Whale clan too. (Mikaelsen, pg. 183) Lastly, I want to explore when cultures make totem poles for people and what type of

Most often it’s when an honored chief dies but back then, people also made them for stories or events! These events can be wars, fights, major discoveries, bonds, all along with a variety of other events. Not only that, the totem poles have different names depending on the occasions. “Honorary or commemorative poles celebrated living individuals, while memorial poles served as funerary monuments” (Dearborn, p.14). If totem poles aren’t meant for major events, they tell of people’s ancestors, dances, and stories. Sometimes totem poles tell stories with images of animals. The animals represent different feelings and parts of the story. “Ever write a story about your family? Draw pictures of someplace special you visited on a family vacation? Taken a picture of a favorite aunt you haven't seen in a while? The native people of southern Alaska did the same thing hundreds of years ago. but in a very different way. Instead of using paper and markers or snapping a digital photo, they carved images into the wood of ancient red cedar trees” (Schiffmann, pp. 14-19). Even so with all that being said, it’s time to bring things to an