TOTEM POLES OF THE NORTH PACIFIC COAST 



IHtiK ( KDAK ( AK\lN(iS OITKN SO OI.I) THAT IIIK INDIA NS IIIKMSKIA KS 



I1A^■K FOHCiOlTKX IIIKIH MKAXlXCiS. KA( II lOIKM I'lll.K IKI.I.S SO.M K 



ANCESTKAL LKCJKM) OK IS TIIK "hADCK" OK A FAMILY OK (LAN 



Bi/ lldrhii! I. Smith 

 IMi(>l()t;r;i|)lis h.\ I he Author 



I\ soiiu' villiifics of the North Pacific Coast oi' America a totem i)ole stands 

 ill front of each liouse and the houses stand in a row facin<j the sea. 

 From a (hslance the jk)U's h)ok hke stuhs of a dead forest friiijiiii;^' tlie 

 edge of tlie sea and not till one ap- 

 proaches nearer do the s(inatty 

 houses appear nestled in the vegeta- 

 tion just hack of them. When seen 

 near at hand the }ioles are grotescjue, 

 some of them still I'xhihitiny, e\-en 

 after the many years of exposure to 

 wind and weather, faint traces of the 

 color with which tliey were ori<iinally 

 painted. 



Totem poles are a consi)icuous 

 feature of any \illaue on the North 

 Pacific Coast of America, so conspic- 

 uous indeed that the Indian tribes 

 living here have sometimes been 

 called "Totem Pole Indians." The 

 poles mark the area of the North 

 Pacific Coast culture, which extends 

 from the vicinity of Puget Sound 

 along the coast to the Eskimo coun- 

 try in southern Alaska. The influ- 

 ence of this culture, to he sure, extends 

 southward along the coast hut at 

 Puget Sound it begins to lose its 

 strongest characteristics. Indica- 

 tions of its influence are found also 

 in the interior especially along the 

 water- ways. Some of the best totem 

 poles are not seen by the tourist 

 who makes the delightful scenic trip 

 to Alaska by way of the calm inland 



77 



TAMANAWAS BOARD. BAY CENTER. 

 WASHI NGTON 



This criKlo carving, now in the i)os.si'.ssion of 

 the Musi'um. shows totem pole influonci' south 

 (){' the N'orth I'iififk- Coast rultufc area 



