Northwest Coast Totem Pole Craft Template | Indigenous Art Project & Coloring Pages
 
Bring Northwest Coast Indigenous art into your classroom with this engaging, hands-on totem pole activity! Students choose from a variety of animal and ancestor figures, color them, cut them out, and stack them to create their own unique totem pole. With large templates, oversized wings, and extension activities about symbolism and color, this resource combines creativity, art history, and cultural appreciation in one memorable project.
 
What's Included:
29 printable pages designed for elementary and middle school art classrooms
Large Northwest Coast-inspired animal and ancestor figure templates for students to color, cut, and stack into their own unique totem poles
4 complete wing sets (left and right wing pages) that extend the finished project into an impressive 3-page-wide display
Animal and figure choices including Bear, Beaver, Fox, Owl, Eagle, Hawk, Raven, Thunderbird, Frog, Salmon, Killer Whale (Orca), Ancestor Figure, and Chief Figure
Color Symbolism Reference Page introducing traditional Northwest Coast-inspired color meanings
Figure Identification & Symbolism Guide explaining the meaning of each animal and figure
Student Coloring Page featuring a completed totem pole for inspiration or early finishers
 
Why You'll Love It:
Students create a one-of-a-kind artwork by selecting and arranging their own totem pole figures.
Encourages creativity while introducing the symbolism, stories, and traditions found in Northwest Coast Indigenous art.
Builds fine motor skills through coloring, cutting, arranging, and assembling large paper sculptures.
Reinforces art vocabulary including symbolism, form, balance, repetition, pattern, and composition.
Creates an eye-catching hallway or classroom display with finished totem poles spanning three pages wide using the oversized wings.
Perfect for Indigenous Peoples studies, art history, social studies connections, or cultural appreciation units.