Alright, so you wanna know about this raven totem pole thing, huh? Well, I’ll tell ya what I know, though I ain’t no fancy scholar or nothin’. It’s just stuff I’ve heard and seen, ya know?
First off, them totem poles, they’re big ol’ wooden things, taller than my old barn, some of ’em. And they got all sorts of critters carved on ’em – birds, bears, wolves, you name it. They ain’t just pretty pictures, mind you. They tell stories, family stories, I reckon, like who your grandpa was and what he did way back when. Like a big ol’ family tree, but carved outta wood instead of writ on paper.
Now, this raven… that’s a bird, a smart one, they say. Black as night and always up to somethin’. On them totem poles, he means somethin’ special. I heard tell he’s about wisdom and knowin’ stuff. Like, seein’ through the bull, ya know? He reminds ya that things ain’t always what they seem. Folks say he’s a trickster too, always changin’ things up. Kinda like that weather around here, never know what it’s gonna do next.
- Wisdom and smarts. That’s what the raven mostly means.
- He’s also about changin’ and adaptin’, like when the corn don’t grow, gotta figure somethin’ else out.
- And sometimes, he’s just a plain ol’ trickster, foolin’ ya good.
Them poles, they ain’t just for one family, neither. Sometimes they’re for a whole bunch of folks, a whole clan, they call it. Like the Raven clan, they got their own raven pole, and the Eagle clan, they got theirs. It’s like a big ol’ family reunion, but carved in wood for everyone to see.
I seen some of them poles in a park once, real tall and fancy. They said some of them were real old, from way back in the 1880s, can you believe it? And some were newer, fixed up like a patched-up quilt. They said some were made durin’ somethin’ called the CCC project, back in the 1940s. Don’t ask me what that is, I ain’t got a clue. But they fixed up them old poles, made ‘em strong again.
Now, different critters on the pole mean different things, see? Like the eagle, that’s all about bein’ strong and important. The bear, he’s about protectin’ ya, like a mama bear with her cubs. And the wolf… well, he’s somethin’ else altogether, I reckon. But this here’s about the raven, so I won’t get sidetracked.
Them totem poles, they ain’t just standin’ there for nothin’. They got purpose. Sometimes they tell a story, like how the world was made or how the Raven clan got started. Sometimes they welcome folks, like when you have a big party and put out a welcome mat. Sometimes they remember folks who ain’t with us no more, like a big ol’ gravestone, but prettier. And sometimes, they shame folks who done wrong, like puttin’ their dirty laundry out for everyone to see. Don’t you go gettin’ yourself shamed on a totem pole now!
So that’s the gist of it, what I know about them raven totem poles. They’re about history, family, wisdom, and a whole lot more. They’re kinda like a big ol’ book, but you gotta know how to read the pictures. And remember, that raven, he’s watchin’ ya, makin’ sure you’re payin’ attention and learnin’ somethin’. He’s a smart one, that raven. You gotta be smart too, to understand these things.
And don’t go thinkin’ it’s all just some old wives’ tales. There’s power in them poles, in them stories, in that raven. You can feel it, if you just stop and listen. It’s like the wind in the trees, or the river flowin’, it’s always there, if you know how to pay attention.
Anyway, that’s all I got to say about it. Hope it made some sense to ya. If not, well, go find yourself a smart fella who knows more than an old woman like me.
Tags: [totem pole, raven, indigenous culture, symbolism, history, wisdom, clan, carving, art, Pacific Northwest]
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