Coming home

Page 2

On the morning of Sept. 23, the first day of autumn was greeted with a sunrise ceremony on the banks of the Fraser River. Following the ceremony, a totem pole was unveiled for the new millennium.

Coast Salish carver George Price carved the pole entitled, "Coming Home." It was carved to honor, not only his father and mother, but all Aboriginal women, the non-Native men they married and their children that suffered discrimination through the loss of treaty rights and status.

"My deepest gratitude to Grand Chief Dr. Rose Charlie (who was present and witnessed the pole unveiling) and all women who fought for our Aboriginal ancestral rights through Bill C-31," said Price.

"There are two things about this pole," said Ron John, chief of Chawathil First Nation. "It is an honor of family and that it stands representing Canada's shame over the government's taking away of a nationhood by telling people they didn't belong to a race. It is a very fitting testimony to a dark time of Canadian history. How can you tell another race, they are no longer who they are?"

Dr. Rose Charlie is a Sto:lo from the Chehalis Band. She worked for 25 years to rectify the many injustices that Aboriginal people suffered because of federal and provincial laws and policies in regard to membership.

The totem pole, which is in its natural color, features many crests to honor the totem spirits of many bands. There is a bear holding salmon, raven holding spindle whorl, wolf holding eagle talking stick, eagle holding sturgeon, woman holding child, and sasquatch holding canoe. In the canoe are four figures to represent the four races of humans. The tree it was carved from is more than 400 years old and was once struck by lightning.

"This has been a real touching moment for me today," said Audrey Deroy-Gagnon, an Anishnabe and George Price's wife. "My mother went through the Bill C-31 process. Since the tree this pole was carved out of was hit by lightning and it recovered, it is a beautiful symbol of unity, acceptance and healing. This pole is so strong it will pull any negative energy that is around and get rid of it."