The carver had to follow the dirrections that the chief gave to him. The carvers couledn't pick out the wood or the collors that they were going to use. The carvers had to do what the chief tole them. The first thing that the carver had to remembrt was that the totem had to tell a story. The carver had to work with an expert until he came of age.
Red cedar is favored by the carvers.
When the chief thinks he is welthie enough, that is when he went to surch for a carver. The chief would reject many offers befor he selected one that he thought could do exactly what he was told. The Indians made their color out of animal oils, blood, salmon eggs, charcoal, graphite, ocher, and moss. The paint brushes were made of animal fur. The people that bought the totem poles would pay thousands of dollars.