TOTEM POLE

ByKyle Harford

HAIDA The Haida would build a totem pole for

each family. Each head on the totem pole meant

something to the family (generally animals represented qualities like bravery or intelligence).

HAIDA CONTINUED While working on my totem pole I tried

to make it in the spirit of the ones the Native Americans carved.

TYPES OF RESOURCES I USED I used many books and websites about

totem poles when completing my project.

I also interviewed a wood carver who helped me to get started.

CARVING I used a variety of tools in carving,

including gouges and knives. I carved each head separately in case

of mistakes.

CARVING CONTINUED The carving phase took the longest and

required many hours of carving. Mistakes were made, but by changing

the original design and using wood filler I was able to cover most of those up.

CARVING CONTINUED Fortunately, I did not cut myself while I

was carving because a used Bass, a soft wood, and protective gloves.

Wood shavings would often get everywhere from the carving and were a constant nuisance.

CARVING CONCLUSION I used a sander to sand down uneven

parts to make it look nice and also to avoid getting scratched by it while I work.

PAINTING In order to complete the project I had

to paint the totem, but leave some areas bare because there the wood looked better by itself and it kept it more towards how the original totems were carved.

PAINTING CONTINUED I used three colors for the majority of

the totem: red, black, and green. I also used some other colors in some

areas, including: another shade of red, brown and another shade of green.

COMPLETED PROJECT After seven months of work, I achieved

my goal and I am proud of the totem pole that I created. It represents both the Haida tradition and my creativity.

EVALUATION My totem pole was what I had hoped it

would be from the beginning. While there were errors along the way,

I learned how to fix them and avoid them in the future.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Ellenwood, Everett. Woodcarving. East Petersburg, PA: Fox Chapel Pub., 2008. Print. Heinrichs, Ann, and Matt Kania. Alaska. Chanhassen, MN: Child's World, 2006. Print. Hendrickson, Rod. Personal interview. 29 Sept. 2012. Hill, Wayne, Bev McMullen, and James McKee. Carve your own totem pole. Erin, Ont.:

Boston Mills Press, 2007. Print. Huang., Alice. "Totem Poles." Home. The University of British Columbia, n.d. Web. 27

Jan. 2013. <http://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/home/culture/totem-poles.html>.

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