What do the colors on totem poles represent?
Colors vary somewhat from Tribe to Tribe, so these colors are in general, the colors symbolize things and represent several different things. WHITE: stands for skies, spacious Heavens, also purity, peace, and death. RED: stands for blood, war, or valor, it is sometimes used as colors on animals and/or parts of said animals. BLUE: most commonly used as the symbol for rivers, waters, lakes, and also skies, it symbolizes sincerity and happiness. YELLOW: a dominating color that symbolizes the sun, light, and happiness. GREEN: represents the earth, hills, trees, and mountains. PURPLE: generally used in the recessed portions of the totem, as for symbols it represents a reverent nature. BLACK: as a rule it stood for power.
