The 30 small carved and painted representations, on exhibit at the Oakland Museum of California through January, show a wistful affiliation with the teenagers' cultural heritage.

"Most people forget their roots when they come here," said Daisy Velasco, one of the teenage artists. "But I'm proud of the Mexican part in me."

The 11th-grader's totem is a Mexican woman whose body reflects the green, white and red of the Mexican flag. She has eagle's legs and is perched on a cactus. In the bottom of the totem are people working on farmland.

"Interestingly enough, even young people, when they come to think of their culture they think of the culture of their families," says Lori Fogarty, executive director of the museum.

"Some people are sixth-generation Californians, and they still identify with where their families came from," Fogarty says. "I think it is interesting to see how people identify with their cultural identity."

The exhibit, "Told From a Totem," is part of a partnership between Oakland High School and the museum that started in 2000. This year, around 60 students, some of whom attend the school's Visual Art Academy, made totems and a jury from the museum chose 30 to exhibit.

"We chose 30 totems only because of the presence of limited exhibiting space in the museum," said Christine Lashaw, an artist and preparer at the museum.

Lashaw said the program gives students a chance to be heard.

"We wanted to showcase these students to give them a voice," she said.

Funding for it comes mainly from the museum, she said.

One student, Lisa Voong, created a totem with three parts, one symbolizing her family, another her culture and the third her personality. In the portion focused on her, she carved six books with titles like leadership, music, fashion and sport.

"The books refer to the different facets of my personality," the 17-year-old said.

Above them, a golden vase of flowers represents her family members, she said. And at top, her last name is written in Chinese characters.

"It represents my heritage because I am Chinese," she said. "In a place like California where all people have arrived from other places, you can find people identifying themselves with two or three cultures," said Fogarty. "This can only be found in California."

Jackie Begrin, an art teacher at the high school, said she was inspired by her students' work.

"My job is to make these students proud of their American culture and also proud of their ancestors' culture," she said.

She said developing respect for their past would help the students develop respect for themselves and the future.

"I make this to honor my mother," one student wrote under his totem.

Karen Tsujimoto, a curator, was moved by the totems.

"This exhibition is important because it shows that creativity is universal," says Tsujimoto, whose speciality is modern and contemporary art. "Like all artists, these students are sharing a part of themselves through their art."

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