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My calendar and schedule got away from me last week and I missed sharing a Blogging Through the Alphabet post. Lucky for me, I was able to combine what I was planning to share last week for the letter O with this week's post for the letter P. It would have bothered me to miss a letter even if no one else noticed!
Thanks to our review of ArtAchieve (which you can see HERE), Kennady worked on an art project featuring an Owl as one of the creatures on a Pacific Northwest totem pole. The totem pole that inspired this project has an owl, a raven, a whale, and a coyote; but the instructions for the drawing leave out the whale. The owl is on the top of this totem pole, so it will get top billing here! (No slight intended to the raven or coyote) The owl is very commonly used on the top of Pacific Northwest totem poles.
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| Totem pole by KAT, May 2017 |
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| Totem pole by KAT, May 2017 |
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| Totem Pole by KAT, May 2017 |
In Native American legend, there is a belief in spirit animals that act as guides throughout a person's life. A totem animal is one that is with a person for life. While we may not agree with the spiritual aspect of this belief, it's easy to see how the characteristics of the different animals are representative of personality traits or values that people may aspire to. Some animals more than others! Each creature on a totem pole can represent certain characteristics as well. More about the totem pole in a moment!
The owl represents wisdom, mystery, and vision; and isn't it interesting that the owl represents similar things in many Native American cultures and in European thinking too? Other characteristics the owl may represent to Native Americans include: deception, intuition, insight, messenger, mission, secrets, and stealth.
Tall multiple-figure totem poles are associated with Northwest Coast Native Americans, particularly the Haida, Tlingit, and Tsimshian peoples. The tall cedar poles can be used at the front of a house, as interior house posts, or as free-standing memorial poles. Totem poles aren't used for religious purposes, although they often have deep meaning or are a story told by the carver. The order of the figures on the pole has little significance, like the saying "low man on the totem pole" leads us to believe!
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| Totem Pole by KAT, May 2017 |
The totem pole Kennady drew for this project is painted using black formlines and the traditional colors similar to the ones used in a piece of Tlingit art also featured in the ArtAchieve lesson.
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| Totem Pole by KAT, May 2017 |
This post is linked at Blogging Through the Alphabet hosted by A Net In Time and Hopkins Homeschool. Join in to see what others are sharing related to this week's letter!
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7 comments:
Oh, that was clever! And I love the Owl Totem Pole! We have some homeschooling friends who lived in Washington State for a time and the kids got to learn to carve Totem poles as field trip adventures. Wonderful art!
OH I just love her drawing.
My son said "oh wow" well done
Your daughter has such talent! Recently, I learned that it is actually the lowest totem on the pole that has the greatest honor or prestige.
Her drawing is great. I love it.
What a cool totem pole!
Your posts are like mini homeschool lessons! Next time someone tells me I'm the low man on the totem pole, I'm going to thank them. Ha!
This was very interesting. Thank you for sharing. I've always been fascinated by totem poles, but never gave them too much thought beyond that they looked cool. I like how you tied in your art lessons with history.
Blessings!
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