Choosing to be honest with Edwin and own up to trying to make a canoe is a huge step for Cole. Cole now understands that lying won’t get him anywhere. If he wants Edwin to continue to help him, he needs to be honest with Edwin, just as Edwin has been honest with him. Giving Cole permission to carve the totem pole is another way that Edwin can introduce yet another ritual into Cole’s life. Like the ancestor rock, carving also forces Cole to reflect on what he’s learned—but this time, what he learned from animals.