Art and traditional stories from other cultures can inform and inspire our own creative work. They can also push us beyond the limits of our own experiences and challenges to strive towards our full human potential. Totem Poles are a great example of this, with their stunning artwork depicting fascinating and compelling narratives. When you think of Native American culture, you probably think of TPs and totem poles, but most Native American tribes didn't have either of these. Totem Poles were only carved by a small number of tribes, those living in the area marked in red here on the map, from Southeastern Alaska down the coast of Canada, as far south as Vancouver Island. We do not know how long the tribes in this region carved these poles. The tribes had no system of writing and kept no records, and the poles themselves decomposed and deteriorated. We have a couple of sketches from explorers in the 1790s like this one, showing interior house poles or exterior entrance poles. The evidence suggests that column carving existed at least a few generations before contact with Russian and European explorers, but that contact caused radical changes to the art form. The fur trade brought a huge increase in wealth to the region. The traders brought iron tools, which made the carvers more efficient and their designs more elaborate. The traders also brought diseases that caused tragic loss of life, leaving many leadership positions vacant. These factors led to lavish displays of wealth, gift giving, and chiefly competitions for social rank that dramatically increased the number of poles commission. This brought about what is known as the Golden Age of Totem Poles in the 1800s. Totem Poles were carved of Western Red Seater. It is a beautiful soft wood, very workable, but also very durable. The larger poles could be around 30 to 40 feet tall, sometimes taller, with a diameter of 4 feet or so. The poles could often stand for 50 to 60 years out in the elements before they would collapse. A pole could take as long as 2 years to carve. A patron would hire a carver from outside his own clan, preferably from another tribal together. The carver and his family would often live with a patron during the entire process. The patron would spend a great deal of time communicating to the carver the histories and legends of his family. These carvers, with their many travels and exposure to stories from other clans, were perhaps the most culturally aware members of their society. Carvers had plenty of freedom in how they depicted the figures on these poles, but they always followed formal stylistic rules. Ravens had straight beaks, eagles had curved beaks. Beaver's always had two large front teeth and held his stick in their paws. Wolves and bears look surprisingly similar, but they could be distinguished by the shape of their teeth and the length of their snouts. Other symbols could communicate further details. These two dorsal fins on this killer whale indicate that it is a supernatural figure. One of the great poles carved at the end of the Golden Age is this Raven pole carved for the chief in Wrangelolaska in 1896. This postcard from 1913 shows how the pole looks standing outside the chief's house. The original pole collapsed in the 1970s, but this replica of the pole still stands in Wrangel today. This pole depicts the story of how Raven, the great culture hero of Pacific Northwest legends, placed the sun in the sky. The second figure on the pole is this Raven. He was a trickster figure who could change forms, so he is depicted here in both Raven and Human form. He is also depicted with a sun around his face because of his role in this story. In the beginning, the world was covered in darkness. All the light was hidden away in a box by the creator, the top figure on this pole. The creator in this drive's tradition was also a Raven, noticed a straight beak. Trickster Raven began scheming how to steal the light from the creator Raven. He transformed himself into a hemlock needle and floated down the stream where the third figure on the pole, the daughter of creator Raven, drank him up. She later gave birth to a sun, trickster Raven in disguise. Trickster Raven pleaded with his new grandfather, throwing tantrums and begging him to take the light out of the box and let him play with it. When creator Raven reluctantly agreed, Trickster Raven turned back into his real form, carried the light up through the smoke hole of the house and placed it in the sky as the sun. The story of Totem Poles does not end with the golden age. The 20th century saw a decline in pole carving, some government attempts to recreate the art, and a revival of sorts in the 50s and 60s among native artists who could still learn from the old masters. But that story will have to wait for another day. If you're interested in learning more, you can visit randihoy.com slash ignite for links to resources I would recommend. I hope you'll spend a little time studying these beautiful poles and the amazing narratives they depict.