11" high, 21" wide. Model totem pole hand carved and painted by Master artist Mathew Baker (Squamish / Kwak'waka'wakw).
Totem poles are a distinctive feature of Northwest coast Native culture. Cedar logs are carved with representations of supernatural beings and spiritual aspects of animals and humans.
Travel was by canoes over water during traditional times on the Northwest Coast. Villages were located along rivers or by the ocean. Totem poles faced the water and travellers could read them. Poles told the stories of the people there. Native People travelled and traded widely. Trade was very important. Even during hostilities, temporary truces for trade were honoured. People intermarried with distant communities. Marriages were alliances that brought access to goods from other areas. Poles were like address markers or directories.
