Alaskan Animal Totems – Nature, Magic, and Culture

It is easy to get lost in the magic of #Alaska. It is practically like stepping into the pages of a fairy tale. The mountains are its skyscrapers, its rich wildlife is a sea of adventure, its crystalline, sparkling waters are its concrete pavements, and its warmth comes from the wonderful people that inhabit the place. Alaska is rich not only in natural resources and beautiful spots but also in culture. It has its share of significant people, places, and events and established testimonies of these are carved into the Alaskan #Totems.

You may find animal totems that make you wonder about their significance. These animals are actually referred to as spirit guides. A #spirit animal will choose you and not the other way around although you might find yourself already identifying to that particular animal. That spirit animal is believed to guide you both in the spiritual and physical world.

Here are bits of information to help you to better understand some Alaskan Animal Totems:

·Alligator These totems are spirit guides of people who want to see justice served, even if it means that they have to see to it that it is done themselves. These are for people who have protective, maternal instincts. They also represent survival skills, efficiency, and stealth.

·Antelope Antelope totems are spirit guides of people who are willing to make sacrifices for others. They also represent clear minds, keen eyesight, and intuitiveness.

·Badger Badger totems are for people who have natural healing powers,

those who have a hard time forming connections and relationships

with other people, and aggressive people. They also

represent courage, focus, and determination.

·Bear Bear spirit guides are for people who are

considered as guardians of the world, with healing

powers, and those who possess great strength.

They represent sovereignty, will power, and self-

preservation.

• Armadillo These totems are for people who value safety,

trust, and peace. These are for people who remain ground-

ed no matter what, who are reclusive, and who like to

remain neutral in different situations.

• Cat Known as Egypt’s holy animal, cats in Alaskan

Totems represent sensuality, magic, and guardianship.

They are spirit guides for people who are mysterious,

watchful, and independent.

• Cobra While it is one of the most feared animals in the world, an

Alaskan Cobra totem is for people who are swift, decisive, and energetic. It is

mostly associated with the power of life and death, transformation, and eternity.

• Crane Crane is the spirit guide for loners. It represents solitude, focus, and vigilance. It is for people who value justice, independence, and intelligence.

• Dog Popularly known as man’s best friend, Alaskan dog totems serve as spirit guides for those who are faithful, obedient, and loyal. They also represent nobility, teaching, and sensory perception.

Each animal holds its own story and spiritual meaning. The spiritual representation of an animal is often embodied and eternalized through totem poles, and every aspect of these totem poles is as important and individualized as the animal on which it is based. Some totem poles are a recording of important events that happened in the past. They tell the stories of those families and clans they represent, which could be myths or legends. There are many kinds of totem poles that send other messages. Some are used to welcome or scare off strangers, some celebrate a special occasion like a wedding, some are memorials to remember an important member of the tribe, and some are even made to shame a person or another tribe who has done something wrong.

In Alaska, there are four clans that have a particularly rich history involving the totem pole: the Eyak, Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures. Each have their own distinct process of creating their totem poles, from choosing the tree to holding the pole-raising ceremony. The goal of the totem on display is to tell a story, but mostly they mark “a family’s lineage and validating the powerful rights and privileges that the family held.”

Getting to know Alaskan Animal Totems means immersing yourself into the Alaskan culture which is a whole new world of adventure, mystery, and magic.

A visit to The Last Frontier to see for yourself the stately, intricate beauty of, and to feel the palpable rich spirituality of totem poles may leave you inspired to do some soul-searching of your own.