One type of totem pole created by Native Americans uses people and animals to describe family or clan history. In this lesson, students will research their own family history and create a totem pole to reflect and communicate that history.
Does anyone know what a symbol is?
A symbol is something visible such as an object, picture, written word or a particular mark. A symbol stands for something else that is invisible such as an idea, action, or event. For example, a certain traffic sign stands for “stop” in the United States. What other symbols can you think of?
[Select and show photos of a totem pole to your class.] Most of you have probably seen pictures of totem poles. But what do you really know about them? Totem poles are collections of symbols that represent important events, stories, status, and kinship or clan relationships in the history of families in Native American tribes.
Students can be assessed on their presentations.
Totem poles honor a family or clan’s heritage. In ancient Egyptian culture, people also used symbols and pictures to tell a story. Find examples by doing a search on bing.com. Discuss what may be different about the two cultures based on the symbols.