The books in this section are usually hardcover and in decent condition, though we'll sometimes offer hard-to-find books in lesser condition at a reduced price. Though we often put images of the book with their original dust jackets, the copies here won't always (or even often) have them. If that is important to you, please call ahead or say so in the order comments!
What are totem poles? Where are they found? Who made them? What do they say?
Strangely enough, if an onlooker doesn't already know the story a pole tells, he can't "read" the pole. There are some totems existing today that have lost their stories, and these are called puzzle totems.
A totem pole was a sort of "signboard" made by the Indians of the Northwest Coast. A pole was erected by a chief for various reasons, usually at a big party called a potlatch.
The author tells how a tree was selected, cut down, carved, and raised; what symbols a finished pole might bear; and what legends it might tell. The book is especially timely because of the current interest in the totem as an expression of authentic native art. It centers on Indian lore as well as the recent efforts to save the authentic old poles.
—from the dust jacket
Did you find this review helpful?