Title: The First Nations of the Pacific Northwest - Totem Poles
Headings: The First Nations of the Pacific Northwest
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The First Nations of the Pacific Northwest
Totem Poles, House Posts, and Big Houses
References
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Content: Due to the abundance of natural resources and the affluence of most Northwest tribes, there was plenty of leisure time to create art. Many works of art served practical purposes, such as clothing, tools, weapons of war and hunting, transportation, cooking, and shelter; but others were purely aesthetic. Spiritualism, the supernatural and the importance of the environment played integral roles in day-to-day life. Therefore, it was not unusual for their worldly goods to be adorned with symbols, crests and totems that represented some important figure (s) from both the seen and unseen worlds. Often different northern tribes would adorn their possessions with symbols that represented a tribe as a collective (i.e., clan); this would often be a signal of differentiation among tribal groups. Such symbols could be compared to a coat of arms, or running up the flag of a country on a sailing ship, as it approached a harbour. After the arrival of the Europeans, Indigenous artefacts suddenly became a hot commodity to be collected and placed in museums and other institutions, and many tribal groups were looted of their precious items by over-zealous collectors. It is only in recent years that many Native organisations have been calling for a return of some of their sacred items, such as masks and regalia, that symbolise their cultural heritage.