David Keiter, Age 10, Of Tulsa, Okla., for his question:

What was the purpose of totem poles?

Totem poles were made by the Indians of the northwest. These tribes knew nothing of farming or pottery. But they could build neat wooden houses and weave fancy blankets., make fine baskets and work with copper and stone. Their guady totem poles prove that they were great wood carvers.

Keeping up with the joneses is an expression that means trying to impress the neighbors. The smiths buy an extra tv set, not because they need or really want one, but because the joneses have an extra tv. The joneses refuse to be outdone, so they scoop out a second swimming pool, just to show the world that they are as good or better than the neighbors.

This kind of family pride is nothing new. The Indians of the pacific northwest., from Oregon to Alaska, knew all about it. They carved and painted their gaudy totem poles to show the rest of the world how very, very important they were.

These tribes lived in wooden villages along the shores. They went to sea in splendid canoes to fish and to hunt for whales. They also hunted on land through the forested rain swept mountains. In their way of life there were three classes of people~ there was an upper crust of lords and rulers, a middle grade or ordinary folk and a lowest class of slaves.

Among other far flung tribes, an Indian brave had to earn and deserve his claim to fame. But among the totem pole tribes, he was respected only if he came from the top family. He was famous for his wealth, the blankets and ornaments inherited from his ancestors or taken from his enemies. There was a totem pole to tell the world about the people and possessions in his family tree.

The early totem pole was whittled on the wooden post at the front door. It was the face of a chief or famous ancestor. These proud peop1e thought they were descended from a bear, a whale or some other animal, and the totem ancestor was often imaginary. Later, more faces were carved on the post, one above another, and painted with black, white and red mud. The totem pole suited the ideas of these family proud peop1e. It was made taller, daubed with brighter colors and stood out in front of the house.

The purpose of an ornate totem pole was to show off to the world. An Indian could point out the faces of his famous human ancestors and his imaginary animal ancestors. The proud carvings were explained to neighbors and visiting tribes that came to share in the village feasts.

The carvers had tricks to show which faces on the totem pole were human and which were animals. Most of the animals were given upright ears. A bird was given a hooked beak and a whale was given a carved fin. A beaver was given a toothy mouth and a flat tail was added to his portrait.