Indian Totem Poles. The totem was the British Columbia Indian's "coat of arms". Totem poles are unique to the the northwest coast of B.C. and lower Alaska. They were carved from Western Red Cedar and each carving tells of a real or mythical event. They were not idols, not were they worshipped. Each carving on each pole has a meaning. The eagle represents the kingdom of the air; the whale, the lordship of the sea; the wolf, the genius of the land; the frog, the transitional link between land and sea.