Totem Pole carving peaked in the mid 1860's then massively declined after reductions in sea otter trading, wars between tribes and diseases caused downfalls. Eventually missionaries moved into the area, indoctrinating the Haida and convincing them to abandon their traditions.  Many Totem Poles were destroyed or sold. ​In 1884, Canada outlawed the potlatch, many carvers died off without passing on the tradition and Totem Pole carvings ended. Fortunately, the law was repealed in 1951, new carvers emerged and in 1968, the tradition returned with the raising of a new Haida Totem Pole (Stewart 1990, 23).

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Currently, many of the prominent Northwest Coast carvers live and carve in British Columbia, Alaska, and Seattle. And, many of these prominent carvers were trained at The Gitenmax Carving School in Hazelton, British Columbia. Carver Nathan Jackson, states that, even though 'there is now such a high demand for the art, and the art is certainly evolving', he still wants to remain a traditional carver who 'captures and passes on a part of the past' (Bolanz & Williams 2003, 185-186). Teaching the ancient techniques to one another is a way of extending community interactions. This also shows how the practice of carving can pass on values and cultural knowledge to the next generation of Haida (Sims & Stephens 2011, 13).