totem pole

noun

a pole or post carved and painted with totemic figures, erected by Indians of the northwest coast of North America, especially in front of their houses.
a hierarchical system: the bureaucratic totem pole.

Origin of totem pole

First recorded in 1875–80

Words nearby totem pole

tote bag, tote board, tote box, tote road, totem, totem pole, totemism, totemist, totemite, totes, tother

Example sentences from the Web for totem pole

  • I've got one decayed foreign title dangling to the totem-pole, and that's enough; that's got to satisfy the missus.

    Making Money |Owen Johnson

  • The idea of a totem-pole is something like a door-plate or a visiting card.

    The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle |Hugh Lofting

  • A totem-pole donated to the exposition by Yannate, a very old Thlinkit, was made by his own hands in honor of his mother.

    Alaska |Ella Higginson

  • It is the totem-pole, the Indian child will tell you with pride.

    Little Folks of North America |Mary Hazelton Wade

British Dictionary definitions for totem pole

totem pole

noun

a pole carved or painted with totemic figures set up by certain North American Indians, esp those of the NW Pacific coast, within a village as a tribal symbol or, sometimes, in memory of a dead person

Cultural definitions for totem pole

totem pole

Among some Native Americans, a pole on which totems are carved. The totem pole usually stands in front of a house or shelter.

notes for totem pole

A totem pole is thought of figuratively as a symbol (see also symbol) of a hierarchy: “Where does she stand on the totem pole?”