The Royal Canadian Mint presents this 30 dollars silver proof coin honoring Canada's aboriginal peoples.

According to the legends of Canada's aboriginal peoples, every person has a 'totem' - special characteristics they share with an animal, plant or inanimate object and which define their personal identity within their family and clan. Along the northwest Pacific coast where tribes had easy access to the immense western red cedar, artists began carving groups of totems into massive logs. Chiefs often commissioned totem poles to reveal the power of their families for all to see. Imagine the impression that was made by a 65 ft totem pole towering overhead. Raising a totem pole was a major undertaking that was celebrated with song, drum and dance.