Totem Pole, memorial object, usually in the form of a large, carved tree trunk. Totem poles were originally produced by several groups of indigenous peoples along the Pacific Coast from southern Alaska to British Columbia. These striking art objects, sometimes occurring as carved wooden planks or house posts as well as tall poles, were decorated with painted carvings. Totem poles were erected by a family head or clan chief as a memorial to deceased ancestors and to confirm the lineage and status of the pole’s owner. The design usually contained a representation of the owner's guardian totemic animal, and for this reason the memorial eventually was given the name of totem pole. See also Totemism.

Totem poles, as we know them today, originated relatively recently. The first accounts by Captain James Cook and other 18th-century explorers of the Pacific Coast do not mention totem poles, although descriptions of carved and painted house fronts, doorways, and posts occur in their writings. The first erection of tall totem poles appears to date from the early 19th century and was stimulated by contact with Europeans. The sale of sea otter pelts to the Europeans brought new wealth to the tribal chieftains. Elaborately carved totem poles were a new means for tribal leaders to display their prestige and status, which had traditionally been demonstrated through the potlatch ceremony and other customs. Skilled carvers, using steel blades and tools introduced by the Europeans, were in demand to create taller and more complex poles. Many houses had several poles, while some major villages boasted over 70.

This surge of wealth and the accompanying burst of creativity peaked in the mid-1860s. By then, the trade in sea otter furs had ended and epidemics had reduced the native population along the entire coast. Christian missionaries discouraged the carving of totem poles and the Canadian government outlawed potlatch ceremonies. Villages were abandoned; their totem poles decayed or were felled and cut up for firewood. Between 1870 and 1920, hundreds of totem poles were removed and shipped to museums or collectors throughout the world. However, beginning in 1950, the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, initiated a totem pole restoration project to find and to restore the remaining standing totem poles and to encourage the carving of new ones. Schools were established to teach traditional carving techniques. Today there is a growing interest in the totem pole as a cultural tradition and art form.