There was always a very small Totem Pole next to my Mother's bed as I was growing up. It was very special to her, and as children, we were not to touch it. I always wondered why it was so special to her.

Later, I found that my mother's grandmother lived on Vancouver Island, Canada. My grandmother died an early death, leaving five children. My mom was the oldest child, 9 years old. The five children were then sent to be raised in an Orphanage.

Vancouver Island was one of the many places where totem poles were created by Pacific Northwest Indians. I'm guessing my mother's Totem Pole belonged to my grandmother; my mother, being only 9 years old, when she lost her mother, the Totem Pole, was the only tangible keepsake she had of her own mother. That's why I think it was so special.