Replicas of historic totem poles to be raised

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A totem pole raising ceremony will be held in Vancouver Island's Courtenay on April 27.

The poles are replicas of two long-standing totem poles that are more than 50 years old and symbols of the Comox First Nations. The original totem poles were called the Lewis Park Poles because of the park in which they once stood. The original poles are being replaced because their appearance has declined.

Randy Wiwchar, director of community services for the city of Courtenay, said the poor state of the original poles became a concern to the community, so the city decided to look into having the poles replaced with replicas. According to Wiwchar, the town wanted to replace the original poles to maintain their close relationship with the Comox Band and to continue to to show the history of the Comox First Nations.

Planning towards replacing the original poles began a year-and-a-half ago. Island carver Calvin Hunt was commissioned by the city to make the replicas.

Hunt, who owns and operates a carving studio and workshop in Port Hardy, has more than 30 years of carving experience. He said it was important to raise the replica totem poles to keep the history of the Comox First Nations alive in the city. He added that the original poles should be saved and a new home should be found for them.

Hunt expects a large turnout for the ceremony, noting that in 1994 he carved a ceremonial canoe for the Comox Band and the city of Courtenay and there were more than 2,000 people there for the blessing and the giving-of-the-name ceremony.

Dr. Phil Nuytten is the sponsor of the event. Dr. Nuytten, who loves to carve as a pastime, is founder and president of Nuytco Research Ltd., a worldwide leader in the operation and development of underwater technology. His contributions have allowed the city of Courtenay to keep the totem poles at Lewis Park and to maintain the culture and history that the totem poles represent on display. Currently, the city of Courtenay is undecided as to where the original totem poles are to be placed: either in the Alert Bay museum or the city of Courtenay museum.