Show M Many ny Va Varieties of f. f Indian Totem Poles Carved cedar poles were erected by Indians along the north Pacific coast from Vancouver island to Alaska Among the Haida Halda tribes there were were three principal varieties the outside and inside house poles and memorial columns Besides the house poles the four tour main mail supporting posts and the two outside front corner posts were sometimes carved says the Vancouver ver Province The outside house pole standing In n front of the house midway between the corners was three feet or more wide at the base and sometimes more than 50 feet high being hollowed along the base for tor easier handling Close to t the base It was pierced with witha a round aperture which served as adoor adoor a a. door though some of the later poles were left solid a door of ot European patt pattern rn being made at one side Inside house poles were erected only by the very wealthy They stood In the middle of ot the house directly behind behind be be- behind hind the fire and marked the seat of ot honor Grave posts were of ot many different different dif dif- ferent shapes Sometimes they consisted con con- slated of ot a very thick post surmounted b by n a large arge carved box which contained contained con con- smaller boxes holding the bones of the deceased sometimes the box was longer and was supported by two posts Often however the body was vas placed In a mortuary bouse house and the pole usually a n tall slender shaft was erected elsewhere The carvings on grave r ve posts and grave boxes were almost almost al almost al- al most always s 's crests own owned d by the famIly family family fam fam- ily of ot the deceased while white those on the house poles might be crests or they might Illustrate stories and occasionally occasionally occasion occasion- ally a figure of ot the house own owner r himself himself him him- self added or the figure of ot some person person per per- son whom he wished to ridicule |