Totem poles are the wood carvings created by local native people to represent ancestry, history, important people and events. Totem pole are created from red cedar wood, which is available here abundantly.

Totem Heritage Center houses the collection of these totem poles which were created in 19th century. They were collected from Tlingit and Haida villages in 1970. Most of the old totem poles are severely weathered and damaged. However, the skills and the artistic ability is seen in the details of these poles.

The staff of the Totem Heritage Center was friendly and helpful. We reached the Heritage Center just before 20 minutes of closing. They gave us the free complimentary pass to see the museum, as we didn’t have much time left to explore it.

The totem poles have no religious significance, but has great cultural importance. These poles were never worshipped. They were created to honor the important and prestigious people, mark the significant events and proclaim the lineage of the owners or clans.

Each totem pole has different story, meaning and purpose which was passed down from generation to generation orally. Unfortunately, the original history and stories behind these totem poles are lost due to no proper records, but some were retrieved from the elderly living people.