Warwick, I figure you would know this

Were tall carved logs vertically set, only common to pacific NW people, or were they constructed by any other people anywhere?

Were totem pole cultures limited to the coast between Oregon to British Columbia? Here in Northern California, natives built cedar plank houses and had similar products to the northern coastal people, but I don't think they made totem poles.

In nearby McKinleyville CA stands the worlds tallest totem pole 200', I think it was made by modern methods.

Stone obelisks were in Egypt, Stonehenge etc. in Britain, Easter island had tall stone statues.
Were tall wooden obelisks common anywhere, excluding flagpoles? I think the balawing poles in south east Asia were flagpoles more or less.

DDeden