The Totems

El totem It is a representation, which in some mythologies symbolized a tribe or individual, and may have some attributes or meanings. For the Indians of Yukon y Alaska, the totems represented a kind of identification of each clan, tribe or family. Therefore, the totems symbolize a very particular knowledge.

The totem can be an object, animal or a supernatural human being, which can have different meanings in any part of the world. Therefore, there is no general concept for the different totems that have existed, and currently exist.

These monuments of humanity that were originally known only in North America, had their origin in the indigenous populations that were very close to the region of Yukon, where the famous Gold Rush fever took place in 1897, it was a gold race. That brought thousands of people in search of the precious dream of becoming a millionaire, finding that yellowish metal. But very few made it.

Many were unable to return due to the sub-arctic climate, dying in the lands where they sought their dream. Another factor for this tragic end was the large number of accidents that occurred while working in the mines.

The tragedies that occurred made the survivors believe that the totems that existed in that area were responsible for these events, giving them magical powers to give an answer to what was happening in the place. They were punishments, according to them, from the gods for taking the riches of this land.

This helped the indigenous populations of Yukon y Alaska to protect themselves from the thousands of men who came in search of gold, to the surrounding areas where they lived.

One of the best places to see totem poles is the region of Yukon and the southeast coast of Alaska. Spectacular monuments that symbolize their culture, their history and everything that they considered supernatural.

You should not miss the opportunity to know the history of many Canadian indigenous peoples, through these representations that close a very particular world of each culture.