Totem poles or crest poles, an old Northwest coast art form, were historically created by the Tshimshian, Haida, Tlingit, and other First Nations and Alaska Native groups in Southeast Alaska and British Columbia. After contact with Europeans, totem poles spread around the world and were collected by museums. Most surviving totem poles which exist today were carved in the 1800s or later, and the majority of totem poles along the Inside Passage (which follows the Northwest Coast) were created no earlier than the 1930s.
Notable totem poles include:
North America ImageTitleLocationDateArtistSourceÁakʼw KootéeyaaJuneau, Alaska, United States1981Nathan JacksonBaranof totem poleSitka, Alaska, United States1942George Benson, who later disavowed the poleBig Beaver Totem PoleChicago, Illinois, United States1982Norman TaitBoo-QwillaStanford, California, United States1995Art ThompsonCanadian totemMexico City, Mexico1962Mungo MartinSeattle Totem pole, also known as the Chief-of-All-Women pole or Pioneer Square totem poleSeattle, Washington, United States (originally Tongass Island)c. 1790, installed in Seattle in 1899 Replica installed in the 1940sChief Johnson totem poleKetchikan, Alaska, United States1901 Replica created 1980Farmer's PoleSeattle, Washington, United States1984 James Bender and Victor SteinbrueckGʼpsgolox totem poleKitlope Valley, Canada Formerly Museum of Ethnography, Sweden1872Healing Heart totem poleCraig, Alaska, United States1995Stan MarsdenKakasoʼlas poleVancouver, British Columbia, Canada1955Ellen NeelKnowledge Totem PoleVictoria, British Columbia, Canada1990Cicero August with Darrel and Doug AugustNi'isjoohl totem poleNisg̱aʼa Museum in British Columbia, Canada Formerly National Museum of Scotland1800sNisgaʼa and Haida Crest Poles of the Royal Ontario MuseumRoyal Ontario Museum, CanadaOld Witch totem poleJuneau, Alaska, United StatesDwight WallaceRaven Stealing the Sun totem poleKetchikan, Alaska, United States1983Dempsey BobReconciliation PoleVancouver, British Columbia, Canada2017Jim Hart Seattle Center TotemSeattle Center in Seattle, Washington, United States1970Duane Pasco, Victor Mowatt, and Earl MuldonSoul PoleSeattle, Washington, United StatesThe Stanford LegacyStanford, California, United States2002Don YeomansSwinomish totem poleSkagit County, Washington, United States1938 Replica installed 1989Charlie EdwardsThree Frogs poleChief Shakes Historic Site, in Wrangell, Alaska, United States1800s Replicas created in 1940 and c. 2000 Removed in 2024Untitled Totem Pole Seattle, Washington, United States1984James Bender and Marvin OliverAlert Bay Totem Pole Alert Bay, British Columbia, Canada1973World's Tallest Totem Polehttps://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/209650-tallest-totem-pole-wooden-sculptureWellbriety totem poleSitka, Alaska, United States2006Wayne PriceWooshkeetaan KootéeyaaJuneau, Alaska, United States1980Nathan JacksonYaxté totem poleJuneau, Alaska, United States1941Linn A. Forrest
Elsewhere ImageTitleLocationDateArtistNotesCanadian totemPlaza Canadá in Buenos Aires, Argentina1964Henry Hunt and Tony Hunt SrKayung totem poleBritish Museum in London, England Formerly Kayung, Graham Island, British Columbia, Canadac. 1850Kʼëgit poleMusée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac in Paris, France1860sMauze, Marie. "The Kaiget Pole at the Musee de l'Homme" in
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