However, a crest could also be acquired through marriage. This adventure often entailed the ancestor’s overcoming and killing the creature, or the creature becoming human to establish the lineage. A family obtained its “origin” crest from an early ancestor who had a memorable adventure of encounter with a supernatural creature.
According to these tales, it was a time before the world was as it is now a time when humans and animals were not separate and distinct and when they could transform easily from one to another. Many of the crests used in Pacific Northwest Coast carvings have their origins in ancient myth. Before the end of the 18th century, travelers encountered monumental carvings in cedar along a coastal expanse of one thousand miles. However, once the custom became a part of tribal ritual, it flourished. We have many theories, but little evidence concerning the origins of totem poles. They included shaman’s charms, chiefs’ staffs, batons, ladle handles, and canes. It is thought that totem poles derive from three contributing sources: carved house posts, graveyard figures and miniature carvings of stone, ivory, and wood. The door was made like a man’s head and the passage the house was between his teeth.” The entrance was cut out of a large tree and carved all the way up and down. In 1792, seaman John Bartlett wrote, “We went ashore where one of their winter houses stood. The first totem pole known to science was seen on Langara Island, Queen Charlotte Islands in 1791. The figures recorded the past, displaying it in the present and preserving it for the future. In addition they gave the people their status in their nation and within their village. They displayed origins, lineages, supernatural experiences, exploits and acquisitions. The function of totem poles varied, but overall they were historical monuments and documents. Tribal people of the Pacific Northwest Coast carved the likeness of their totems onto vast poles. Six Pacific Northwest Totem Poles can be viewed at the Red Earth Art Center.
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