While travelling in Southeast Alaska last year I was able to study a large nuber of Totem poles. Some poles will have a series of rings. Each ring represented a Potlatch that family had hosted. If your Totem had several rings, it was a sign of wealth and prosperity. (I have photos at photobucket.com, just search kahrnh to view the albums)

The potlatch, or 'give away', was a big deal. The more you had
the more you gave away.