I’ve always been fascinated by the very colorful totem poles of the Indian tribes located in the Pacific Northwest. Tribes such as the Tlingit, Haida, and especially the Kwakiutl are famous for their majestic totems. Early missionaries thought totems were religious symbols and deities for worship, so the indigenous people were forced to burn their totems. Today, totem poles are used to tell stories about a tribes’ heritage.

I found a very interesting and informative site which features several artists who create totem poles today. There are photos demonstrating step by step details on how a totem was built at the Haida village of Skidegate, Haida Gwaii.

Enjoy.

Update (5/19/10)

There have been inquiries as to where pieces of this beautiful art work can be bought. Here are several sites. Please be careful and check thoroughly  before buying anything, as  we at  Talking Feather  can not guarantee the legitimacy of the sites.

The first choice: The Path Gallery, lists artist Wayne Edenshaw, who assisted with the carving at Skidegate.

http://www.pathgallery.com/itoolkit.asp?pg=products&specific=joppjpq8

http://www.spiritsofthewestcoast.com/gallery/haida-art.asp

http://www.freespiritgallery.ca/

Tags: Art, colorful, Culture, Haida Gwaii, Kwakiutl, majestic poles, Skidegate, Tingit, totem poles

by Frederick White, Ph.D,  
News From Indian Country

Hi All,

An interesting article that discusses how historically Indigenous languages have changed from being the first means of communication among tribal members, to the current situation where the tribal languages are becoming endangered or extinct. One constant factor is that English is becoming the preferred language.

Preferring English has many ramifications. Parents decide to not teach children Indigenous language for many reasons, including the psychological battering of assimilation.

For this reason, many adults choose to speak only English to their children because they do not want their children to suffer as they did for knowing their Indigenous language.

Dr. White also offers suggestions on how to reverse this shift, and teach children to respect and learn the language of their culture. Very encouraging!

Tags: assimilation, Culture, Frederick White, indigenous languages