Home coming
Xanaksiyala carvers
The world-renowned G'psgolox totem pole has returned to BC after 77 years in Stockholm
The old totem pole from 1872 tells about the time when aboriginal peoples were badly affected by smallpox.
In the 1920's the totem pole was stolen and transported from the Haisla settlement to Sweden. In 1994 the Swedish government after a request the Haisla agreed that the totem pole should be returned to Canada.
Finally in 2006 the homecoming is a reality.
The pole is returning on April 26th ,2006 and will be displayed temporarily at
UBC Museum of Anthropology until June 19th, 2006. After its second display at the Vancouver U.N. World Urban Forum it will travel to Kitamaat Village where it will be officially welcomed home on Canada Day July 1st, 2006.
"Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (of England and Sherlock Holmes fame) requested the preservation of totem poles in British Columbia "
Xanaksiyala carvers Henry Robertson, Derek Wilson, Barry Wilson and Patricia Robertson traveled to Sweden to provide a carving in the Swedish Museum of Ethnography. Their visit provided them with their first sight of the original totem pole.
The Haisla people have a history dating back thousands of years and you can read about their ingenuity and intimate knowledge of their surroundings by visiting:
http://www.haislatotem.org/
