Touching Spirit Bear: Making Your Own Totem Pole
Totem poles are made by the Tlingit Indians of the Pacific Northwest coast of North America. Traditionally, each Totem Pole tells the story of a Native American family's ancestral spirits and family history (pictured in human and animal form). They depict the spirits as people, mythical beasts, and wildlife treasured by the Tlingit Tribe. These huge, wooden poles often show thebald eagle,grizzly bear,moose,beaver, otter, mountaingoat,wolf,whale,porpoise,seal,sea lion, andsalmon.
Edwin explains to Cole that totems tell about ancestry (family) and stories. As Edwin tells Cole, “ Your totem is YOUR STORY, YOUR SEARCH, and YOUR PAST. Everybody has their own.” Like Cole, you will discover and create your own story in your totem pole.
1. Take a piece of white paper and draw your own totem pole using 4 symbols.
2. AFTER YOU ARE FINISHED making your totem pole, you are to write an explanation on lined paper or typed.
3. ONE paragraph or more should be written for each symbol you have.
4. You must have at least four symbols, which means you will have five paragraphs. One is an introduction.
5. You will include five – 8 sentences telling me what the symbol is and why you chose it. How does it relate to your past? Present? Or anything else you want to explain that will tell something about your totem pole.
SYMBOLISM
The Native Americans believed that each animal had a spirit. These animals were used on totem poles because of their special talents and the stories they told.
Bear = symbol of strength;
Beaver = symbol of wealth and gives "medicine power";
Frogs = bring good fortune;
Raven = guardian spirit;
Salmon = symbol of wealth, fertility, immortality;
Snake = brings power of magic;
Thunderbird = chief of all guardian spirits, causes thunder and lightning;
Whale = bad spirit who brings destruction;
Wolf = helpful spirit who also brings skill in weaving and woodcraft.
Some websites for you to view to help you research information are:
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/PM.cgi?AP=vmc_search&LM=Gallery&scope=Gallery&LANG=English&mark=Search&terms=totem%20poles&start=1
http://www.animaltribe.com/http://wings.buffalo.edu/anthropology/museum/pole.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/5160/
RUBRIC FOR THIS ASSGINMENT IS ON THE BACK OF THIS SHEET.