Totem-Pole Treasures

Design and build a totem sculpture using animals that represent your family and heritage. Show your true colors with bright Crayola® Color Explosion!

• 1.

  Research the traditions of Native Americans from the Pacific region of North America. People there have an abundance of food from the ocean, so they use natural resources such as trees to create canoes, bowls, utensils, and very large totem poles. Totem poles traditionally show stylized animals that represent family characteristics. For example, a bird’s freedom in flight could represent a family who moved often. The eyes of a wise owl could represent knowledge.

• 2.

  What animal traits describe you and your family? Sketch some that you might include on a totem pole replica with Crayola Erasable Colored Pencils. Look at traditional totem animals to see how stylized the shapes are. Add simple designs that follow these shapes inside any large open areas. Lay your animal sketches on top of Crayola Color Explosion™ paper and trace. Press hard to create a slight impression in the black surface.

• 3.

  Trace over your impressed designs with a Color Explosion marker. Add any new designs you wish. Cut out your totem animals, leaving a thin line of the black edge around each animal.

• 4.

  Cut black construction paper with Crayola Scissors to cover a cardboard tube. Attach the pieces with Crayola School Glue. Use rubber bands to hold the paper until the glue dries.

• 5.

  Glue your animals to one side of your tube, slightly overlapping each one. Totem poles often have a bird at the top and the largest animal at the bottom for balance.

• 6.

  Ask your friends and family to explain why they think you chose the animals you included on your totem.

Benefits

• Students research Native American totems and refer to visuals to inspire their own versions of totem animals.
• Students produce a striking, 3-dimensional totem pole.
• Students report to their friends and family why they chose the animals and what qualities they represented.

Adaptations

• Display all totems. Ask students to identify which qualities they think are represented by each totem.
• As a class, create a single large totem based on class characteristics.
• Further investigate the geographic areas, climate, plants, and other characteristics of Native peoples.
• Make similar totems to represent an entirely different area, for example the animals of Australia or those indigenous to where you live.
• Assessment: Observe whether totem animals are stylized similar to Pacific Northwest art. Ask students to write their reasons for choosing the animals that they made. Evaluate for detail and thoughtfulness.