0 a tall wooden pole with symbols cut or painted on it that is part of the tradition of the Native Americans of the west coast of Canada and the northern US
1 a wooden pole with symbols cut or painted on it which is connected esp. with American Indians of the Northwest
We find them in prehistoric cave paintings and Native American totem poles, but we also commonly find them in today’s cartoons, comic books, literature, movies, and advertisements.
Women of low-ranking lineages, for example, are also found at the bottom of the ritual totem pole, occasionally with dramatic negative consequences.
I am worried that we are dancing round objective 1 status like a totem pole.
It is as though they needed a sort of totem pole around which to dance this ritual dance.
It has been a totem pole: protect the pound at all costs.
There is always one totem pole that must be saved.
It is a bit of a symbolic question—it is a bit of a totem pole question.
The public sector borrowing requirement is not a totem pole.
