Totem Poles of the Pacific Northwest Coast

Of all the artistic achievements of the native Americans of the Northwest Coast, totem poles are the most striking. Although other peoples in history have carved and raised commemorative columns, no other poles are so intricate and monumental. From the Tlingit settlements of Alaska to the Kwakiutl villages of Vancouver Island, this book presents hundreds of poles in vivid line drawings and in historical black-and-white and contemporary color photographs; it also explores the cultural, spiritual, and social traditions that form the context for these spectacular works of art.