Why were Northwest Coast memorial poles not objects of worship?

Northwest Coast memorial poles were not objects of worship because they were never intended to serve a religious function. Misconceptions regarding their purpose have often led to erroneous accounts, but these poles were primarily secular, memorial documents.1

Their true purpose was to record and communicate social information, including the wealth, lineage, and relative importance of the individual who commissioned them. By displaying symbolic animals and spirits that functioned as family crests, the poles served as a means of identifying the status of a house owner or village chief. In this context, the poles acted as a form of social introduction, allowing observers to understand the standing of the person who paid for the work. Rather than being religious icons, these totem poles were status symbols that exalted the individual within the society's class system.21