Totems and Totem Poles

I'm studying Algonquins in school and I know that they did not build totem poles only in the Northwest Coast, the Algonquin is in the Eastern Woodlands.

You need 1000 saves. After this, look at the little bar by your profile picture. There should be a feather. Click on it, and it will give you the option of making a totem or changing your shaman colour.

That depends on the culture or tribe who is doing the carving. The carvings can represent family ancestry, legends, monumenal events.

These totem poles were never objects of worship for the the Native Americans, merely a public record of sorts.

The movie's ending is deliberately ambiguous. After Cobb spins the totem, it continues to spin and wobbles slightly just as the screen cuts to black. The movie does not make clear whether or not the totem will continue to spin indefinitely or fall, leaving it to the viewer to decide whether he is still dreaming or in reality.

For his part, Cobb does not wait to see whether or not the totem topples over, perhaps suggesting that, free of guilt, it makes no difference whether he is in the waking or dreaming world.

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Let's not forget that the spinning top was not originally Cobbs totem, it was his wifes.. He knew the balance of this totem meaning he could use it but could also be tricked by one person, his wife.

I think Cobbs childrens faces were his totem, when he saw their faces he knew it was reality or didn't really care to detirmine the outcome of his believed totem.

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Cobb is never awake in the entire movie. Even the outer layer, with Aurthur, Eemes, Ariadne, Saito, etc. is all part of his infinite dream. He is always on a permanent loop from the beginning of his dream (unknown) to the end (washed up on shore, visits old-man Saito) UNTIL his subconscious finally gets rid of the old architect (the one that messed up the rug in the beginning of the movie) with the new one, Ariadne. Ariadne and Memory-Mal are both Cobb's representation of the real Mal (the one who "died" [but she actually freed herself from the dream cuz she was right]). When Cobb is explaining why he won't stay with Memory-Mal in Limbo, he says "I can't live with all your perfections (Ariadne) and your imperfections (Memory-Mal). So basically he split Mal into good and bad. Also, Fischer and Eemes are Cobb's representation of himself (not so much Eemes as Fischer, though). Cobb has guilt about his father. That is represented in his subconscious by Fischer, who's father was thought to be dissappointed with his son. Eemes said sentences along the lines of "I just want to go home" several times during the movie, which is all Cobb wants: to go home. We never saw Cobb's totem get spun, fall, and completely stop in one scene; there were always split scenes and cutaways. Ariadne's title is "Architect" and it is because Cobb finally got a new architect for his dream loop, he broke free and got into a new part of his everlasting limbo: his kids and home and stuff. If Cobb never got Ariadne, then the ending with Old-Man-Saito would've been the exact same as the first scene and then it would've looped back to the beginning: the middle age Saito in the hotel/palace. But instead of looping back, the Old-Man-Saito scene at the end was different because Cobb finally convinced him to go back.

No, only a few tribes on the west coast of Canada and the north-west coast of the USA made totem poles.

No, that would have been the Native Alaskan Indians.

Yes, with qualifications: Totem poles aren't originally native to the Seminoles -- they're from the Pacific Northwest. However, during the age of Seminole tourist camps (from the 1920s through the 1960s) the ever-enterprising Seminoles realized that white tourists expected all Native Americans to have totem poles. So they started carving them then. Therefore, yes, they did carve totems, but not for the same reasons as the original totem pole carving tribes. For the Seminoles, they were just tourist signage. Some Seminole totem pole examples from old tourist camps now reside in the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, on the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation.

The Louisiana tribe known for the rattlesnake totem is the Houma tribe. The rattlesnake is a significant symbol within their culture, representing strength and resilience. The Houma people have a rich history and connection to the land, and their totemic symbols reflect their beliefs and values.

The short answer is: Yes. But the longer answer is: It depends on what you mean by "Totem Poll." Totem Polls, were not used by the Apache, in the same manner as they would have been by more Western tribes. Apache lived primarily in the Texas and Mexico region. Rather than using the Totem Pole as a spirit (i.e. spiritual) entity, the Apache would use them as a story, or a remembrance of an important person, place, or historical event. One who is not raised in the old Traditional Apache Tradition may not necessarily understand what the symbols, carving, and animals truly mean, however.

The "story pole" is misnamed a "totem' pole due to a misunderstanding of its purpose by the settlers when they first encountered them.

A 'totem' is a natural object or animal believed by a particular society to have spiritual significance and adopted by it as an emblem. Which is a very paternalistic and condescending attitude typical of colonising people towards those they encounter.

Totem poles are important to native Indian bands as they tell a story of the events, people and chiefs of that band. Many totems are very descriptive and quite amazing to see. - The best collection is in the British Columbia Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver.

the key is the "message" in the bottle,,, complete every task given and you receive one part of the Totem Pole,, the bottle returns every week,,, and will give different tasks. There is some minor bugs in this first run,, so hopefully an update is due soon

It means caring

Native American tribes in the Northwest part of North America including the Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and others build totem poles. They were symbols of clan wealth and prestige.

because it rotted

Totems represent different kinds of animals that were, and still are, very important to the Native Americans. Totems to the Native Americans were the equivelant of crosses to Christians and such. Each Totem represented a different animal with significant meaning. For example, the Bear Totem represents love. Native Americans carved and carried totems around to guide and protect themselves; they felt very close to the animal spirits, and the Totems supposedly carried these sprits. I am not sure, but I think when a boy became a Warrior, he was given a Totem that represented the true person inside, or something like that.Hope this helps! :-)

One reason is that they had access to tall, straight trees. Totem poles were commemoratives for alliances, trades, heroic deeds, and mainly as displays of wealth (having one made didn't come cheap). The figures aren't always totemic, despite the name. There's a notable one that seems to bear the likeness of a Russian priest. It was erected after a chieftain felt he'd successfully defended his religion to a foreigner.

Many people think of the totem pole as belonging to Indigenous cultures all across Canada, but did you know that only six West Coast First Nations are responsible for the creation of totem pole? They are: the Haida, the Nuxalk, the Kwakwaka'wakw, the Tlingit, the Tsimshina and the Coast Salish.

It's hard to say when. Totem poles are even being made today. There is an industry for them, and you can go to many Alaskan cities and see totem pole producers. A good place to view totem poles is in Totem Park, Alaska.

No, the eastern woodlands tribes did not use totem poles - those were limited just to the far north-west coast region and especially to the area of Vancouver Island.

Many people are confused about the term totem pole and apply it indiscriminately to various other types of poles set up by other tribes. It is likely that the woodlands tribes did set up poles with skulls and hides of deer, elk, eastern woodlands buffalo or bear as a mark of respect for the animal spirits and as burial ground markers - but these are not totem poles.

The Iroquois and their Algonquian neighbours used "war posts" in religious ceremonies before setting off to war; these represented enemies and were struck by the warriors as if they were real enemy warriors. They were not totem poles.

The Powhatan tribes and others in the area of Virginia set up "dance posts" in a ring used for ceremonies and dances, representing tribal ancestors. They were not totem poles.

Nobody knows where totem poles originated from or exactly when, because there is no solid recorded evidence. All we can do is guess when they were first made.

Many different cultures made totem poles, not just Native Americans.

While poles made by Native American tribes are the most famously known, the Mayans, Aztecs, Native Canadians, Native Australians, Maori, ingenious Koreans and ingenious Chinese are also known to have built totem poles.

Many of the poles tell a story, either of a battle, a great feat or a popular legend. Erected for the people of the tribe and visitors to see and remember the events carved into the pole.

They were often also used by Native Australian tribes and Maori tribes to mark their territories, warning rival tribes that they are entering their land, as well as to tell stories like most totem poles.

Aztec and Mayan totem poles were carved from stone, mostly limestone. The poles are carved with images or representations of great battles and representations of Gods.

Ancient ingenious Chinese and Koreans erected small totems to signify their obedience to their Gods and respect to their ancestors.

Anybody who claims the Native Americans were the first to build totem poles are actually incorrect. Truth is, we don't know where they originated from. The empires of ancient China and ancient Korea have existed long before the native Americans settled.

Yes, Native American tribes in Washington, particularly the Coast Salish, Tlingit, and Haida, created totem poles as significant cultural artifacts. These totem poles often depicted ancestral figures, animals, and important stories, serving both artistic and spiritual purposes. They were typically carved from cedar wood and played a role in honoring lineage, marking important events, and conveying tribal history. Today, they remain an important symbol of Native American heritage in the region.