Port Orchard Monument Pole Dedicated To Gerald H Grosso

I decided against anything but a literal description of this photo. This is a memorial to someone’s family member and the most respectful thing I could do, is start there.

I like taking photos of monument poles but in public representations, It’s best to find their meaning and pay respect to that.

This is a perfect example of what monument poles are. They are sacred arts. I am not an indigenous person and I cannot speak for them. I’d say start with some websites created / managed by indigenous peoples from these areas.

For instance I was “today” years old when I learned “totem” wasn’t the right term, but I’m not surprised.

https://www.thetotem.org/whatisatotempole

It’s not culturally insensitive to say “totem pole.”
Even though “totem” does not accurately capture the original meaning, we are good with it. Anthropologists, in a roundabout way, did us a favour by popularizing a common term that the wider world can recognize. The painter Emily Carr—who lived in Alert Bay—used it extensively in her writing and art.

https://www.akwildlife.org/news/the-history-and-significance-of-totem-poles

https://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/totem_poles/

Non-indigenous sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totem_pole

https://www.britannica.com/art/totem-pole