Totem poles are monumental carvings, a type of Northwest First Nations coast art carved with symbols or figures, usually out of trees, particularly red cedar.
This is a Model Totem Pole: Grizzly Bear Holding a Fish, Thunderbird on top of the bear, Chief on top of the Thunderbird wearing a Sun Mask.
Grizzly Bear represents the strength of the North, holding a fish, that kept many Nations alive. The Thunderbird is a supernatural figure that is in many cultures across Turtle Island, and the Chief, our ancestor, wears a Sun Mask and holds his Family’s Copper.
Scale is 1/12 - 1’’=12’’ Size: 5in Diameter x 40 inches long.
Tools & Materials
Material List
- Red Cedar
- Paint
- Oil
- First Aid kit (due to use of sharp tools)
Tool list
- Carving knives, Straight, curved, and planer blades
- Chisels, small hand gouges, and ¼’’ Chisel
- Adze, Lipped and straight adze
- Small Pull Japanese pull Saw
- Ruler, pencils & erasers
- Sharpening stone
Procedure
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Find a cedar block with the least amount of knots as possible
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Make the wood round and desired size
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Draft design on paper to get a general idea
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Layout design on the wood
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Make depth cuts with a pull saw, use the adze to remove a large chunk of unwanted wood, and get the desired shape
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Continue to redraw lines as they are removed
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When ready switch to knives and clean up
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Constantly clean, rough areas as needed
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When shaped and cleaned, draw detail lines and carve detail with finishing knives