Totem pole's return to Haisla

After standing for 77 years in a foreign land far, far away, the G'psgolox totem pole is back where it belongs: in Haisla territory.

Hundreds of Haisla Nation members joined dignitaries and members of other First Nations in Kitamaat village July 1 to celebrate the homecoming of the G'psgolox pole. It is believed to be the first North American First Nation totem pole ever to be repatriated from Europe and it was welcomed with appropriate ceremony.

The pole welcoming and feast was held at the Kitamaat community centre, preceded by a procession of chiefs and dancers that started at the waterfront and ended about a half-hour later with a grand entry into the packed hall.

Joining the celebration were representatives from other area First Nations, as well as Skeena MP Nathan Cullen, renowned environmentalist Dr. David Suzuki, and a contingent from Sweden, from where the pole was repatriated.

"We don't see it as being that we have lost a totem pole, but that we have gained friends," said Anders Bjorklund, director of the Museum of Ethnography in Stockholm, Sweden, to the large crowd. "It is a great day for you, the Haisla people, and a special day for us who have come from Sweden. Hopefully, this will inspire other museums in other countries to start this kind of relationship with First Nations people."

The pole was placed horizontally on its back at the front of the hall, covered by a heavy, non-transparent, plastic sheet. Tree branches were laid over it. After a lunch of soup dished out by volunteers, and when speeches had been made, it was time for the unveiling, which involved a little bit of sleight of hand.

The ancestors of G'psgolox were all brought forward and lined up in front of the pole and, after several minutes, they marched out of the hall. Unbeknownst to the audience, workers had been taking off the plastic cover in behind the ancestors so that, when they proceeded out, they acted as a human curtain being drawn back, revealing the pole in a breathtaking, magical moment.

Keen audience members and photographers had to be told many times to stand back as chiefs and Elders were given the first opportunity to look upon the pole, its age noticeable by wear and long cracks here and there. There was a sense of awe and reverence as people walked along the pole. They stood for long moments to gaze upon a once long-lost piece of their history.

"I remember the first time we saw the pole," said Gerald Amos, a lead member of the committee that travelled to Sweden in the early 1990s to confirm the pole's identity. "The power we felt from it was indescribable. It is a symbol of hope that is going to live with us forever."

The pole was originally commissioned by Haisla Chief G?psgolox in 1872 to commemorate an encounter he had with the spirit, Tsooda, who showed compassion to G'psgolox after he had suffered a great loss, losing all of his children. The pole features three images: at the top, Tsooda, who wears a hat that revolves on his head; in the middle, Asoalget, a personified image; and, at the bottom, a mythical grizzly bear that lives under the water.

The pole was cut down in 1929 at the Haisla village Misk'usa, located in B.C.'s Kitlope Valley, by an Indian agent. It was sold under dubious circumstances to Sweden. It wasn't until 62 years later that the Haisla discovered the pole's whereabouts and began negotiations with Sweden to repatriate it, which the Swedes finally agreed to in 2005.

The pole was welcomed back to Canadian soil in April by Chief G'psgolox (Dan Paul, Sr.) at the UBC Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, where it stayed until its July return to Haisla territory.

Fundraising efforts have already begun towards the creation of a Haisla Cultural Centre, the centerpiece of which will be the G'psgolox pole.

"To the totem pole committee, I say, a job well done," said a beaming Kitamaat Chief Councillor Steve Wilson. "Haisla culture is alive and well."