If you were going to carve a totem pole, what kind of faces would you put on it?

Question

I'm carving a totem pole for my back yard. It's going to be about 12 feet tall and 1 foor thick, with 6 big faces on it. Looking for ideas for faces.

Answer 1

Totem- NOUN: 1a. An animal, plant, or natural object serving among certain tribal or traditional peoples as the emblem of a clan or family and sometimes revered as its founder, ancestor, or guardian. b. A representation of such an object.
Decide if you want to carve a 'traditional' native american totem pole, or if you want to make one that is representative of you and your family; or perhaps just a bunch of fun faces.
There are 7 traditional colors used by native indians, black, white, grey, brown, red, yellow, and verdi-gris.
Mature cedar trees were traditionally used to make totems.
The wolf, bear, eagle, buffalo are a few totem animals...many cultures other than native americans use animal 'totems'. Here is one list

Ant - It is industrious.
Badger - Courage.
Bear - Watcher, guardian of the world, giver of great strength of body, courage and power of will.
Buffalo - Possesses great strength.
Cat - It is a good hunter and very independent.
Coyote - It is a crazy trickster bearing tidings of sacred msichief.
Crow - Justice.
Deer - Compassion
Dog - Loyalty.
Dolphin - Wise and happy, able to explore the great depths of emotions, friend to lovers of the sea.
Dragonfly - It can tell you how to break through illusions and how to gain power through dreams. It teaches higher aspirations. Imagination
Dragon - It is fiery, rich and knows the answers to many riddles.
Eagle - Rising, circling the Sun, his cry thrills the brave and panic the faint-hearted.
Fish - Graceful.
Hawk - All-seeing, soaring on the breast of the wind. Observation.
Horse - Freedom
Hummingbird - Fierce warrior, jewel of the gods, whose feathers bear love magic. Pleasure.
Lion - Emblem of royalty, symbol of the Sun. Courageous guardian protectors.
Lizard - Vision
Lynx - Keeper of secrets.
Mouse - It has an eye for details.
Owl - Wise watcher in the night, fate-seer, riddler, beloved by Athena. Silence.
Panther - A good protective animal.
Puma - Shaman's companion on journeys to the other worlds; spirit of grace and silent power.
Rabbit - Fertility
Raven - trickster, wise in oracles and omens, messenger and watcher for the gods. Mystery.
Snake - Transformation.
Spider - Fate
Stag - Lord of the forest, masculine power of regeneration, giver of bounty, beauty and mystical signs.
Swan - Guide into dreamtime.
Turtle - Shyness
Wolf - Pathfinder for the human spirit; heart of the wildness of the world. Knowledge.

Answer 2

Totem Pole Faces

Answer 3

Totem Faces

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
If you were going to carve a totem pole, what kind of faces would you put on it?
I'm carving a totem pole for my back yard. It's going to be about 12 feet tall and 1 foor thick, with 6 big faces on it. Looking for ideas for faces.

Answer 5

I would choose faces that had some symbolic meaning to me and to the environment surrounding my totem pole. Personally, I like elements of nature, like sun, moon, wind, "green man," etc. I think I would also include a face honoring my beloved dog, who is buried in the yard. If you have some ethnic background that could be honored with a totem, I would add that, as well as any that could honor the history of your geographical area. If I had the skills to make a totem pole, I would want the faces to have personal relevance.

Answer 6

Taino, European, African. These are the three races and cultures that mixed to create the Puerto Rican culture and defined who I am today.

Make your totem relevant to who you are. Look into your family tree and the cultures that they represent. Or maybe family {friends} who have made a significant contribution to who you are today.

Good Luck, God Speed

Answer 7

first you must decide who the pole is to honor, you, a friend, your spouse, or your family history, then simply make a list of the animals and or things that would best represent that person or persons, next work out how you want them to stack on the pole to tell a story, then have fun!

Answer 8

I carved my face into a piece of spare wood from Crafts. Does that count?

Answer 9

I would do a wolf, a raven, a bear, a human face, a wildcat of some kind, and maybe one of those mask-like faces. Just pick animals that are significant to you that have good symbolism and mythology...these are the ones I would choose if I were to do it. :) Good luck!

Answer 10

Totems are protectors of evil, so I would have to make them scary.