Fourth Grade
Worksheets
What Did the People of the Totem Pole Believe?
The people of the totem pole were what we would call Native Americans. There were seven main groups of people. They lived along the coastline of Washington State and up the coast of Canada to the panhandle of Alaska. The area's population may have reached 100,000 by 1800. Smallpox and measles greatly reduced their numbers.
As was common among Native Americans, the people of the totem pole believed that everything, both living and inanimate, had a spirit. They believed in one Creator, but many spirits of nature.
In 1854, Chief Seattle (for whom Seattle, Washington, was named) was believed to have said, "Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clearing, and every humming insect is holy in the memory of my people. The sap which courses through the trees carries the memories of the red man." This may be a more poetic version of the chief's original statement. However, it does get the point across. Native Americans felt that all things had a spirit.
