Totem poles were carved by Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest to represent tribes, clans, families or individuals. They were carved from giant cedar trees, with carvers working from the top down. Carving a large totem pole could take two to three years. Once carved, poles were painted with natural pigments in colors like black, red, blue, green and white. The document then provides examples of animals that could be represented on totem poles and instructions for students to design their own stylized animal representation for a class totem pole project.

1. Totem Poles
Art of the Pacific
Northwest Natives
Stuff You Should Know

2. What is a totem pole?
• A totem pole is a
piece of artwork that
was originally created
by the Native
Americans of the
Pacific Northwest.

3. What is a totem pole?
• Totem poles were carved out of
giant cedar trees by the Northwest
Coastal Indians.
• Totem poles were used as a way of
passing down stories.

4. What is a totem pole?
• Totem poles were used
to represent a tribe,
clan, family, or person.
• Having a totem pole
was a great honor.

6. How were they carved?
• After a tree was cut down, carvers would
begin at the top and work their way down.
• A totem pole could be big
or small. A large totem pole
might be more than 60 feet
high and could take two to
three years to carve!
• Once carved, poles were
painted with natural paints
and were most often black,
red, blue, green, and white.

8. Your totem pole piece
• Together we will create a set of
class totem poles!
• Each student will select an
animal that they think best
represents themselves.
• They will create a stylized
drawing of the animal, and
then paint their own piece of
the pole!

9. Art Definitions
• Stylized
• Abstract
• Color Scheme
• Contrast
• Line Quality
• Recognizable
• Not Recognizable
• Certain Group of Colors
• Bold outlines & Color
Changes
• Thickness or thinness of a
line

10. Eagle

11. Killer Whale

12. Salmon

13. Bear

14. Owl

15. Wolf

16. Raven and Moon

18. Owl

23. Now it is your turn! PLAN PLAN PLAN!
• Go to the computer lab. Take your sketchbook &
pencil.
• Print out 3 images of animals that are most
personal to you.
• Sketch out 3 different stylized animal designs.
Each design should fill up an entire sketchbook
page. Each design should be outlined in sharpie
with varied line quality! Each design should be
colored in colored pencil This will help us plan
the color scheme!!