What You Need:
- Paper towel tube - 1
- Acrylic paint
- Markers or crayons
- Brown chart paper
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Craft foam
- Tape
- Glue
- Popsicle sticks
- Cut a piece of brown chart paper large enough to wrap around the entire paper towel tube with just a little overlap.
- Lay the chart paper flat and use the ruler to divide it into 4 or more sections. Draw an animal face on the middle of each section, making sure that the face will show on the front of the totem pole. Use paint or coloured markers to decorate the faces. Allow it to dry.
- Wrap the chart paper around the paper towel tube and stick the seams in place.
- Draw wings for some of the totem faces on chart paper or craft foam and decorate them with crayons, markers or paint. Cut them out and stick them to the back of the tube.
- Cut a small triangle shape from the brown chart paper, crease it down the centre to make it pointy and stick it to the faces.
- Create a base for the totem pole by sticking 2 ice cream sticks.
- To make larger totem poles you can use 3 to 4 paper towel tube roles or cans. These can either be individually painted or wrapped around in chart paper to make a larger totem pole.
Totem poles are monumental sculptures carved from large trees, mostly Western Red Cedar, by cultures of the indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. The word totem is derived from the Ojibwe word 'odoodem', meaning 'his kinship group'. The designs on the totem poles are as varied as the cultures that make them. Totem poles may recount familiar legends, clan lineages or notable events. Some poles celebrate cultural beliefs, but others are mostly artistic presentations.
