The carved pillar representing family crests and ancestry in Northwest Coast cultures is a totem pole.
Totem poles are monumental carvings made by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, including Haida, Tlingit, Tsimshian, Kwakwaka’wakw, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Coast Salish communities. Carvers traditionally used large western red cedar trunks, shaping figures such as ravens, bears, wolves, whales, humans, and supernatural beings.
A pole may preserve a clan lineage, display hereditary crests, recount a family story, commemorate a deceased leader, welcome visitors, or mark an important event. Its meaning depends on the community, the figures, and the circumstances of its installation; there is no universal symbol code that applies to every pole.
A common misconception is that totem poles were worshipped as idols. They are better understood as works of art, public records, heraldic statements, memorials, or architectural features. The word “totem” comes from an Algonquian term referring to a kinship group, even though the poles themselves are chiefly associated with Northwest Coast peoples.