TOTEM POLE ASSEMBLAGES
SCULPTURE AND PAINTING
HISTORY:
One of the most striking and impressive indigenous art forms of North
America is the Totem Pole. Its shear height with intriguing variety of
colorful animals, people, and shapes has defined much of the cultural
landscape of the Pacific North West from Oregon to Alaska.
What exactly are totem poles? It varies with every linguistic group and in
fact from village to village. If you were to paddle up a river or the
coastline before European contact you would have seen, different styles and
animals represented at almost every stop. To the European eye, the Haida are
the most naturalistic, the Kwakiutl the most flamboyant while the Bella
Coola poles make great use of a heavenly blue dye. To the early explorers
and later missionaries these were either representations of pagan gods or
stories. While the meaning and function of totem poles varied, most totem
poles were similar in function to European family crests. They told the
story of a particular family. Most poles depict the rich Northwest coast
legends in a condensed form. For example, if you saw a little blond girl in
a house with three bears you would instantly know that this was the story of
Goldilocks and the Three Bears. You would recall the entire story because
you heard the story as a child. If you were a Native person living on the
Northwest coast three hundred years ago and saw a raven with a red disc in
his mouth on top a totem pole, you would see the raven who stole the sun.
You would know the story of how the raven stole the sun from the sky giant
and brought light to the world.
Children love totem poles and intuitively understand their meaning. They
enjoy making their own with cardboard boxes. Totem poles inspired the great
Canadian artist Emily Carr to paint not only totem poles but also to show
the strong spirituality of the west coast landscape. Many artists since have
borrowed native North American artistic ideas.
There are many traditional figures and symbols used in native american
totems. The four listed below are the main animals depicted on a traditional
totem pole.
The Eagle
It is claimed that the Eagle was the most powerful and useful because it
could fly higher than any other bird, detect trouble at great distance and
tell the chief to be ready.
The Frog
One legend says, when Earth was born the Sun was in the bottom of the lake.
The world was dark. Thunderbird wanted to bring sun into the sky but could
not hold his breath to the bottom of the sea. this Frog with long arms
brought sun to the surface so Thunderbird could bring Sun into the sky.
The Grizzly Bear
One of the most popular paraphrays know for his strength and courage. He
would help in battle or hunting and fishing.
The Watchman
The Watchman is placed on a pole as a helper of the main paraphray. His
conical hat is a symbol of the owners wealth. The more rings the more wealth.
Use this link as a reference point:
http://www.totempoles.net/totempoles.htm
Materials:
Wooden Blocks (thick 2 by 4’s for your base) Length will depend on
the “width” of your “arms” on the totem. Remember balance is the key
Wood Scraps (Various sizes; kinds, shapes, thickness, etc)
Hat Boxes
Tubes
Coffee containers
Boxes
Found Objects (buttons, beads, coke bottle tops, colored macaroni, etc)
Hot Glue Gun
Hot Glue
Nails and Hammer
Paint (Red, Yellow, Blue, Orange, Green Purple, Black, Brown, and White)
***If a saw is needed in construction, parent supervision is advised.
SIZE REQUIREMENTS:
Totem poles cannot be smaller than 18 inches tall and 12 inches wide.
Totem poles cannot be taller than 4 ft and no wider than 3 feet at any point.
Totems can be tall, and lean, or short and stacked as long as they fall
within the above size requirements.
***Projects must be delivered to school by a parent between the hours of
7:30 AM and 3:45 on or before the day the project is due.
Due Date: ____________________________
***NO PROJECTS CAN BE TRANSPORTED ON A BUS DUE TO SAFETY OF ALL CONCERNED.
TOTEM POLE ASSEMBLAGE
“SCULPTURE AND PAINTING"
PARENT SIGNATURE FORM
Semester Home Project
I have read and understand the directions for my child’s semester project.
I understand that as the parent I am asked to advise and supervise the
construction of his or her project. I read and understand that projects can
not be transported on the school bus for the safety of all concerned.
Projects are due on or before the due date assigned by the teacher. All
projects can be dropped off by a parent or guardian during the times of 7:30
AM and 3:45 AM in Room 103.
***This project is your child’s semester test grade. It counts 4 test
grades. Due Date: ___________________________
Student Name _________________________________
Class Period __________________
Parent Signature _______________________________
Phone Number ________________
For more information, please contact Tina Penney at 903-839-5590
