Totem Pole
/ˈtoʊ.təm poʊl/noun
A carved wooden post, especially among Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest, displaying ancestral, clan, or mythic figures.
Did you know?The word totem entered English through Ojibwe odoodem, meaning a person’s kinship group or clan—not originally a supernatural object.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Algonquian
Proto-Algonquian
*oteːtem
“One’s kinship group or clan”
18th Century
Ojibwe
ototeman
“A person’s clan or hereditary relationship”
1791
English
totem
“An emblem or representation associated with a clan or family”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pāl-
“A stake or pointed piece of wood”
Old English
Old English
pāl
“A stake or post”
19th Century
English
totem pole
“A carved post displaying figures connected with Indigenous ancestry, clans, or stories”