Of the five linguistic tribes that built the first totem poles, the Tlingits lived farthest north. They inhabited the coastal area south of what is now Ketchikan, Alaska, from Yakutat and Klukwan to Cape Fox. The Northwest Coast Indians resembled Asiatic peoples and the Tlingits were described by a surgeon-major named M. Rollin in 1786 as olive-skinned with chestnut-colored hair. One of the first tribes to make tall, multiple-figure poles, the characters on Tlingit totem poles were rounded and intricately sculpted. The figures were isolated, each distinct and separated by horizontal grooves.
Living in close proximity to the Tlingits on Dall Island and the southern tip of Prince of Wales Island were the Haidas. A prominent tribe when Europeans first visited the coast, they had their main seat off the British Columbia mainland in the Queen Charlotte Islands. An Alaskan branch of this tribe is known as "Kaigani." Most of them had straight black hair, dark eyes and light complexions. Their legs and arms were shorter than the average European and their hands were smaller. The figures on Haida totem poles overlap and intertwine much more than Tlingit poles and there was no groove separating them.
The Kwakiuti, or Kwakwaka'wakw, lived on both the northeastern section of Vancouver Island and on the mainland. Their totem poles can be seen today at Alert Bay. The Kwakiuti developed a unique style of totem pole, with free-standing welcome figures. They were large and could be human in appearance or represent mythical creatures.
The Salish coastal nations lived in what is now Washington and Oregon state and southern British Columbia. The Salish tribe had a large population, with a branch on the Bella Coola River. This clan, known as the Bella Coolas, adopted many cultural aspects of the Northwest Coast tribes, including totem carving. The Bella Coolas are also referred to as Nuxalkmc people. Their numbers had greatly dwindled by 1922 when anthropologists were studying the region. By then, native people only lived at the Bella Coola River's mouth. Salish tribes carved large human characters that represented ancestors. These were most often used as posts inside houses and as grave markers.
The Nootkas or Nuu'chah'nulth lived on Vancouver Island's west coast and also carved wooden totem poles. John Meares visited this tribe in 1788 and described them as being of fair complexion similar to Europeans, but with more delicate and beautiful features. Their hair and eyes were dark and he described the women as reserved, modest and chaste. The Nootkas also carved human figures in their totem poles. The figures represented ancestors and spiritual beings.