Poles are carved and raised for various different purposes: to welcome visitors, to add prestige to a home, to memorialize a chief, to shame a competing chief, and in recent decades, to sell to a government, organization, or person. No matter where or why totem poles are raised, they always remind people who see them of the enduring presence of First Nations people in this region. Most totem poles are raised with great ceremony.

Kwakiutl Totem Pole Campbell River, 192- Detail of F-08227

Detail of a Gitskan totem pole Kispiox, 1967 I-21901

 

Raising a totem pole in the traditional way is a major project. First a hole must be dug to nest the pole in, then the pole is ceremonially carried to the site - depending on the size of the pole, a hundred or more people may be needed to help carry! When the uncarved end is placed in the hole, some people pull with strong ropes while others push from below with long poles, raising the pole in stages, to the accompaniement of drumming, singing and dancing.

Totem Pole at Zeballos, 1947 Detail of I-27537

Detail of a Gitskan totem pole at Kispiox, 1967 I-21897

 

Hilary Stewart in her book "Looking at Totem Poles":

"Different groups had (and still practice) varying traditions for the pole-raising ceremonies: a popular Haida one is for the carver to dance with his tools tied around his person. Among all groups, the owner of the pole (or a speaker representing him) explains in detail the stories and meaning behind all the carved figures, and those assembled to witness the event are expected to remember what they see and hear. A particularly fine pole calls for praise, criticism and comparison, enhancing the status of the owner and the reputation of the carver. Feasting and potlatching follow in celebration, as one more carved monument stands tall and splendid against the sky."

Totem pole at Skeena Crossing, 1967 Detail of I-21911

Dance of the Animals, Thunderbird Park, Victoria, 1953. Dancing often accompanies the raising of a totem pole I-26812