Totem Poles at Stanley Park

There were eight totem poles in display beside the Brockton Oval cricket pitch. Each has a story which breathes life in it.

On a plague at the park were written:

The totem was the British Columbia Indians’ “Coat of Arms”. Totem Poles are unique to the North-west coast of B.C. and lower Alaska. They were carved from Western Red Cedar and each carving tells of a real or mythical event. They were not idols nor were they worshipped. Each carving on each pole has a meaning. The eagle represents the Kingdom of the Air, the whale the Lordship of the Sea, the wolf the Genius of the Land and the frog the Transition Link between Land and Sea.



Let us study the totem pole called Kakaso’ Las

People come from far away to seek her advice

Kwakwaka’Wakw carver Ellen Neel and her uncle Mungo Martin were among the first artists to achieve wide recognition for their totem poles commissioned by museums, cities, and art collectors. Neel was also the woman to become a Northwest Coast carver. This pole was completed in 1955 for Woodward’s Department Store.

In memory of Neel’s pioneering role in reaching an international audience through her art, the University of British Columbia Museum of Anthropology has loaned this pole to Stanley Park.





Let us look at the Totem Pole closely:

[1] At the top of this totem pole is the thunderbird (with a yellow beak). [2] Underneath the bird is a sea bear (claws in yellow) holding
[3] a killer whale.
[4] Below is a Man clutching a blue
[5] Frog.
[6] Bak’ was: “wild man of the woods” with a yellow sharp nose.
[7] Next is Dzunukwa, a giantess (with eyes closed and tongue sticking out).