Called jangseung, these were placed just outside small villages as spirit guardians of sorts, fearlessly warding off demons. Likely these were created in the culture of Korean shamanic belief, known today as Muism or Sinism. They are usually humanlike caricatures carved out of wood, though sometimes made of stone. It is interesting to note that overseas across the Pacific the Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest region have made totem poles of their own. It has beem hypothesized that thousands of years back all Native Americans came from Asia across the Beringia land bridge (now the Bering Strait). Could we all have been one culture if gone far enough back along the great timeline?
Below are the Native American totem poles in comparison:
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| Relatively untouched totem poles at Skung Gwaii, Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia |
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| More modern versions of totem poles in Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia |
