Know Your Neighbours: Animal Totems

February-March 2004

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
To download a pdf copy of the magazine click here: > DOWNLOAD

by Bryan Nichols

Ever feel a connection with certain animals? When you’re out paddling and spot an otter, heron, or maybe a killer whale, do you feel there’s something special you could learn if you just watched for a while? Perhaps photographs, paintings or sculptures of wildlife have given you the same feeling.

Welcome to the world of animal symbolism and totems. Most of us know what a totem pole is—animals and supernatural beings carved into wood. But the poles are a regional expression of totemism, a belief system found throughout the world. The word totem doesn’t come from the Northwest— it’s based on an Ojibwa word and in English it defines the linking of a people’s blood lines to their founding spirits, which could be animal, plant or supernatural.

Because ‘one god’ belief systems have suppressed totemism for the last millennium or two, many of us don’t have family bonds to a totemic animal. Where totems exist at all, the North American culture of the individual has made them more personal. Do you have an animal you identify with? As totemic orphans, who’s to say we can’t pick our own totems?

WHAT’S YOUR CRITTER?

The concept of animals representing good or bad traits recurs throughout history— are you are as strong as an elephant, as graceful as a swan or as crafty as a fox? Whether or not these links are real, wishful, or quirks of history, there is something to be said for seeking better connections with the other creatures we share the planet with.

Christians have a long history of separating themselves from the animals—but Homo sapiens has a much longer prehistory of evolving with them. Nowadays we seem to divide other animals into three categories: food, pets and wildlife. The vast majority of us have very little contact with the latter. The world is becoming more urban, and city dwellers in particular connect with animals mainly by petting dogs and eating chicken nuggets. Wildlife encounters are limited to the Discovery Channel.

If hot dogs and kitty litter are your main connection to the animal world, you need to get out of the city more. It doesn’t matter whether you are deeply spiritual, street smart or searching for the meaning of life— everyone can learn from wildlife. There is something enlightening about carefully entering wild areas and watching other animals doing what comes naturally.

FOUL WEATHER RESEARCH

There is no shortage of information on animal symbolism. Classic books are popular— animals, Gods and humans are hopelessly intertwined in many old belief systems. Zeus fathered demigods by disguising himself as a swan or bull to seduce human women—what a mess! Shapeshifting is a common theme throughout the world, though it seems hard to pull off when push comes to silver bullet. You probably won’t be able to change into your totem animal, but there is wisdom in trying to see the world through its eyes.

Art is a common way to connect—animals have been represented symbolically in everything from cave paintings to corporate logos. See this month’s checklist and book review for some examples of how Northwest tribes represented their animal totems.

If you want to learn more, New Age books like Animal Speak by Ted Andrews discuss what specific animals represent and list ways of connecting spiritually. The web has plenty of advice as well, particularly on First Nations influenced themes. Websites provide oodles of mostly unsupported and unreferenced ‘wisdom’—there are gems to be found but this isn’t an easy topic to research.

First, the diversity of indigenous peoples and cultures in the Americas is immense, and was considerably more so in the past. Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of years of culture came and went, from nomadic tribes on the Great Plains to the massive stone cities of Central America. Languages, traditions and rituals varied widely over millennia and mountain ranges—this is becoming more apparent today as archaeologists make new discoveries and many groups try to rediscover some of the culture they lost.

The spread of smallpox and other European pathogens was perhaps the most important reason for that loss—in many cases explorers ‘discovered’ villages that had already been decimated by disease. Christianity didn’t help—most Gods are jealous and in their zeal to convert the heathens, many Europeans deliberately eradicated the rituals and implements of local cultures.

Finally, any work in anthropology has to deal with its own cultural distortion—witness the modern, “New Age” versions of First Nations culture and ritual. What we presume to know now is taken from a jumble of different North American eras and tribes, filtered through a mostly Christian past and underpinned by our own pagan roots. It’s then often altered by modern feminism, splashed with the latest psychology, tainted by popular romanticism and finally veneered in political correctness. This month’s checklist is no exception—you can have fun researching your own potential totems, but take it all with a big grain of sea salt.

THE SOURCE

Perhaps the best way to learn and connect is to go to the source. Field guides and natural history books will teach you the appearance, behavior and signs of wildlife. Read them, then get out of the city so you can watch and learn. It is remarkably difficult for us, in this age of entertainment overload, to just sit still and watch something real. Want to know what you can learn from a wolf? You could watch a tv special, drop by the zoo or pay for a spiritual consultation.

Or—you could hoist your kayak onto your car, stick a field guide into your pocket and go for a paddle in wolf country. Even if you don’t see one, you will learn by looking, listening and exploring. Tracks on remote beach, howls in the night, scat on a trail—all these wolf signs will help connect you a little more. If patience, luck and skill reward you and one morning you do spot a pack of wolves at the far end of a misty beach, don’t lunge forward with your camera twitching. Drift silently, watch carefully, try to figure out what they are doing and why. The less you disturb them, the more they can teach you.

SELECTED SOURCES

Animal-Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small Ted Andrews, 2001

Animals with Human Faces: A Guide to Animal Symbolism Beryl Rowland, 1973

The Animals Came Dancing: Native American Sacred Ecology & Animal Kinship Howard Harrod, 2000

Whaling and the Nuu-chah-nulth People by Tom Mexsis Happynook www.nativevillage.org/Inspiration-/ whaling_and_the_nuu_chah_nulth_p.htm

FURTHER READING Learning By Designing: Pacific Northwest Coast Native Indian Art, Vol.1 Jim Gilbert & Karin Clark ISBN 0-969297560209-3-9 softcover, 216 pages, b&w illus. Raven Publishing, 2001 www.ravenpublishing.com Looking for a way to express your interest in animals? Or maybe you just like Northwest art—either way, this book by a pair of experienced educator/artists will fascinate you. It provides a wealth of examples done in four regional styles as well as specific directions for drawing the building blocks of this striking and popular form of art. There are sections on head components, body parts and appendages, and the book finishes with detailed ‘how to’s’ including an eagle, salmon, human, killer whale and wolf. Though the book is profusely illustrated, some color would be interesting, as basic colors were often used in this style—the authors talk about color but presumably could not justify the printing costs. It’s already a bit of an investment at $34.95 Canadian, but you get a double benefit—besides admiring the art it contains, you’ll be encouraged to try your own. Me—I’ve always wanted to make a Greenland paddle with Northwest style rockfish etched onto the blades… There are two other closely related books by the same authors— Learning By Doing is an earlier guide aimed mostly at teachers and home schoolers as it covers curriculum and techniques for painting and woodworking in the Northwest style. Learning By Designing Volume 2, which I haven’t seen, covers more of the theory and evolution of the Northwest shapes and styles.

 

Checklist 35 - A Dozen Symbolic Coastal Animals

RAVEN Northwest ravens are hugely symbolic tricksters, transformers and Gods. Though their role varies widely in tales along the coast, they are never boring—and likewise, real ravens are fascinating to watch. See the Feb 2003 WaveLength (it’s easy online) for more information on these intelligent birds.

BEAR Bears have symbolized many things, but always they are strong. Watching them is usually a lesson in subdued strength, because first they captivate us with their humanlike form and cute, furry exterior. Their carefree nature and curious rambling can throw us off guard—very few people are lucky or unlucky enough to see a wild bear unleash its full power, an experience both amazing and terrifying. Watch, but don’t get too close!

URCHIN Feeling fertile? Sea urchins might be the totem you are looking for. Their prickly spines disguise a round shape that is obvious on the beach—they look like giant salmon eggs. Some people believe the ovoid shapes of Northwest art are based on salmon eggs—or sea urchins. And if seeing isn’t believing, coastal peoples worldwide have long considered sea urchins a delicacy. What do they eat? The eggs of course.

LOON No other sound is quite like the call of the loon. On fresh or salt water, the loon’s call is like a welcome to another world, an invitation into the wilderness—or perhaps a warning. If you find certain ‘worlds’ more comfortable than others, you will relate to loons. Hopelessly clumsy on land, they regularly disappear from the surface, hunting with speed and agility underwater.

HUMMINGBIRD If you’re looking for an upbeat totem, consider the high energy hummingbird. Watch them zip through the air and sip sweet nectar from beautiful flowers—is that a great lifestyle or what? With shimmering feathers and iridescent wings, hummingbirds are often seen as healers or bearers of good tidings.

WHALE Huge animals that are both foreign and familiar to us, whales are mammals that returned to the sea millions of years ago. In the Northwest, killer whales were thought to be transformed chiefs and larger baleen whales, like grays and humpbacks, symbolize the power of size and song. Whales also provided food, blubber and many other necessities to coastal people worldwide. For a variety of complex and mysterious reasons, many of us modern humans feel a unique connection to whales, which helps support an increasingly important whalewatching industry.

OTTER You know this totem is about fun. On rivers and along the west coast, watching otters is watching animals that look like they’re having fun. Why choose a dour, grumpy totem when you can groove with these big weasels as they frolic, feed and feel fine in their fur?

RACCOON Great dexterity and a bandit mask give these chubby little mammals the reputation of a thief. Around people, raccoons are curious and often bold, quick to learn but difficult to tame. Their masks are symbolically important, as masks allow the wearer to hide or temporarily become something else.

OCTOPUS These intelligent and fascinating invertebrates inspire some interesting masks in the Northwest. Having spent many hours happily watching octopuses and squids alongshore and underwater, I will heartily agree with Tom Mexsis Happynook who notes on a Nuu-chah-nulth whaling website that “the octopus exhibits shyness, timidness but yet has great strength in its own environment”. Choose eight legs for a good, and different, sort of totem.

SEA LION Terrestrial lions have long symbolized royalty. Sea lions, with their massive bulk and mouths full of sharp teeth seem to represent something more rapacious. Or perhaps not—maybe you get a different message while watching them bask in the sun, roll gracefully at the surface or leap playfully from the waves.

WOLF Wolves are complicated totems—depending on what you read they symbolize predatory skill, sexual hunger or loyalty among family and friends. Mostly big and bad in the past, they are much more popular now, coming to symbolize the freedom and wonder of Northern wilderness. Truly wild wolves are intelligent and shy—spotting one is a rare privilege.

SEA MONSTER Some totems represent mystery and the unknown. Even after decades of sonar and scuba gear, the ocean depths have only begun to give up their secrets. Our ancestors, wherever they hale from, didn’t know every animal that lived below the waves, and neither do we—new species are discovered every year. We will likely never meet them all, and that’s good— mysterious monsters still symbolize many things, from humility and discovery to horror and wonder. The totem you dream of need not be in any nature book.

© Biologist Bryan Nichols has happily watched wildlife throughout the Americas, and has worked scientifically with wolves, bears and killer whales. Spiritually he’s fond of octopuses, sea monsters and dangerous mermaids.