More history

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‘Eventually, the Haisla learned of the pole’s whereabouts in 1991, and began the long journey of repatriating the pole. The Haisla and the museum negotiated a plan for repatriation: the museum agreed to return the pole, and the Haisla would carve a replacement. Finally, in April 2006, the pole returned to Vancouver. On July 1, 2006, the Haisla officially welcomed the pole home to Kitimat. It was the first pole in Canada to be repatriated from overseas. Louisa Smith, a spokesperson for the Haisla chief, summed up the emotion of the day: “The repatriation of the G’psgolox totem pole has been a journey of a hundred years and thousands of miles…Our children and future generations will be able to see, touch and feel a piece of their history, reclaimed by a nation against all odds.” 

For generations, First Nations peoples have made major efforts to maintain their cultural traditions in the face of assimilationist policies. Following the repeal of discriminatory legislation in 1951, a new generation of artists began to learn and promote the artistry of totem pole carving as a form of cultural revitalization. Famous totem pole carvers include Henry Hunt (Kwakwaka’wakw), Mungo Martin (Kwakwaka’wakw), Martin’s grandson Doug Cranmer (Kwakwaka’wakw), Ellen Neel (Kwakwaka’wakw) and Bill Reid (Haida), who all have works exhibited at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC and some at the Royal B.C. Museum in Victoria.15 Other First Nations sought to repatriate totem poles that have been taken away by non-Aboriginals as collector items or “curiosities,” as well as poles previously sold to Indian agents and museum collectors.

In the early 1990s, the Haisla people of the Kitimat area in B.C. began the process of repatriating a mortuary pole that had been taken away from their community in 1929. The pole had been taken without consent by an Indian Agent who sold it to a Swedish museum. Despite the passage of nearly 80 years, the Haisla persevered and succeeded in their quest to repatriate the G’psgolox Pole.’ (Source)

“Now that was very interesting,” Tiffi thinks to herself.

Kimmy wakes up and gets a cold drink. Then she goes to see what her sister is doing.  

Let’s continue - Totally terrific totem pole facts

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