Certainly early poles were carved using a flatter style similar to that used on masks and other ceremonial objects. The concept of treating the design of the pole as a unit, rather than as several individual carvings, seems to have begun to appear towards the end of the 19th century. The top figure on a pole is usually the clan crest. The most common crests are the eagle, raven, thunderbird, bear, beaver, orca and frog. Eagles and thunderbirds have curved beaks, while the raven has a straight beak.
Thunderbirds have outspread wings.
Bears and beavers have ears on the top of their heads, and beavers also have large teeth. The figures under the crest represent figures in a story. The story may be a myth or legend, or it may be a story from the life of a person in the tribe.