Proposal talk:Totem pole

Additional tags based on Sechelt (shíshálh Nation) mapping

I recently applied this proposal while mapping a set of totem poles in the Sechelt (shíshálh Nation) area of British Columbia. Overall, the proposed tagging scheme using tourism=artwork + artwork_type=totem_pole works well as a clear and consistent baseline.

However, in practice, I found that additional tags were needed to adequately capture the cultural and functional distinctions between poles.

Suggested optional tags

Based on this mapping work, I would suggest considering (or documenting as recommended optional tags):

• culture=* (e.g. coast_salish)
• ethnicity=* (e.g. shíshálh)
• monumental_art_type=* (e.g. crest_pole, memorial_pole, narrative_pole, commemorative_pole)
• purpose=* (e.g. commemorative, ceremonial)
• subject=* (e.g. indigenous)

These tags help distinguish between poles that may appear similar structurally but serve very different roles (e.g. memorial vs crest vs narrative poles).

Example

Example from the Sechelt dataset:

tourism=artwork
artwork_type=totem_pole
name=Totem at the Social Development Building
culture=coast_salish
ethnicity=shíshálh
monumental_art_type=memorial_pole
purpose=commemorative
subject=indigenous
artist_name=Jamie Jeffries
start_date=2012
description=Pole honouring shíshálh Nation military veterans

Without these additional tags, this feature would be indistinguishable (in data terms) from nearby crest or narrative poles, despite having a different cultural function.

Rationale

Totem poles are culturally specific works that often encode lineage, events, or teachings. A minimal tagging approach improves consistency, but additional optional tags can better support:

• richer data for downstream uses (maps, education, research)
• clearer differentiation of pole types and purposes
• more accurate and respectful representation

It may be helpful to include these as documented optional extensions within the proposal.

Happy to share additional examples from the dataset if useful. Discovertotems (talk) 00:12, 2 May 2026 (UTC)