Analysis of the Short Story Totem by Thomas King
Every story has its own meaning behind it as does the Thomas King short story “Totem”. In the “Totem” the totem pole is symbolic of indigenous people, their art, and culture from Western Canada. Aboriginal people already had their own governance and legal system structured when European settlers arrived in Canada and started settling down on Atlantic Canadian territories. However, European settlers bought their own governance and legal system with them. Hence, it started conflict between both colonies.The European settlers decided to disregard the aboriginal people and slowly eliminate them from society to conquer the Canadian land, as Thomas King mentioned in his story, “Maybe ignore it (Totem pole), it will stop singing; It might even go away or disappear or something”. So let`s researchi this story more ditailed in "Short Story Totem by Thomas King Essay" paper.
The short story Totem took place on land of Alberta, where art museum were featuring contemporary art from Atlantic Canada, did not considered Totem pole as piece of art as it symbolizes indigenous people. King set his story in the art museum as it represents art and culture. The totem pole was created by indigenous people as a symbol of people, their history and culture in the Western Canada. “It is quite annoying, and Museum should do something about it”. They tried to get rid of the totem pole, ignored it and thought it might go away. As European settlers made plan to disregard indigenous colonies and started ignoring their culture, art, basic rights, and legal system. They felt that if they ignore them, they might just go away. The Europeans started taking away their basic rights from them like education and health care with the hope that they might disappear. As a result many indigenous people died but they did not go away.Thomas King wrote that even after they cut the totem pole down it still kept making noise. “The trick I think is to cut the pole down and cover it with pruning paste”.
However, the totem poles much like the indigenous people would not go away.Australian aboriginal people are also suffering from the similar circumstances as Canadian ones from same origin settlers as Canada. Aboriginals in the Australia are also fighting for their land and to save their identity as stated in the poem “Identity” by Lionel Fogarty. “Whites in the history, since they came; always tried hard physically and mentally to get rid of our identity”. “Identity” poem states how European settlers settled on Australian land and started to seize everything from them. Poem even referred that how European settlers transformed everything from government to education and education to religion. They seized their land, government and legal system, and planned to eliminate them by snatching away their culture and identity. They even take their children away from the families on the name of education, so they can be trained as they want and make them do whatever they like. Even till today they are struggling for their rights and identity. They are still fighting as Totem pole kept singing and “continued to take up space”.
In conclusion, Thomas king demonstrated in “Totem”, how foreign colonies settled on Canadian land and built plan to isolate indigenous people. They took over their art and culture to abolish aboriginal identity as Totem pole in the art museum. However, aboriginal people not just being disregard and being isolated in Canada but in the other countries as well. First people struggle is still on till today, their fight is still on. They are getting disregarded by government and legal system, or sometimes by society. Will their struggle ever end for their own land and identity?
