This First Nations Totem pole is located along the South Beach Trail in Wickaninnish Bay in the Pacific Rim National Park. This is in the Long Beach Unit of the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve by the Pacific Ocean on the West Coast of Vancouver Island of British Columbia in Canada. Totem poles are a form of art by First Nations or Native American groups which can be found out in the open air all over Canada, and each is by a different group depending on what area of the country you are in. Many of them are found in National Parks and are a reminder of the diverse groups of people that live in Canada.
Totem poles are carved from huge trees, usually cedar, and due to the nature of cedar rotting in the Rainforest environment - on the West Coast especially, the Totem poles do not last as long as they might elsewhere. ... continue below the picture...
... This has led to the fact that there are no Totem poles from before 1900 that still remain outside. As you can see from this tall Totem pole, they often have vibrant colours on them and usually consist of animals, although sometimes there can be a human carved onto them as well.
Each Totem pole tells a story; they can involve First Nations myths and legends, or they can tell of a lineage of a family. Unlike what was first thought when Christian settlers came to Canada and saw these Totem poles, they are not an object of worship, but are there merely to tell a story or to celebrate someones' life or family. They are arranged in this vertical manner as a symbol of importance. In this Totem pole, the raven at the top is the most important of the killer whale or the bear eating fish.
Totem pole along the South Beach Trail, Wickaninnish Bay, Pacific Rim National Park, Long Beach Unit, Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, West Coast, Pacific Ocean, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
Technical Information:
I photographed this photo with the digital SLR camera model Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III, aperture of f/13.0, exposure time of sec. on ISO 100, as always I used a original Canon Lens, the focus lenght for this picture was 27mm.