B.C. First Nation's totem pole being returned by Scotland museum
A memorial totem pole taken almost a century ago from the Nisga'a Nation in British Columbia is being returned to its homelands, says the National Museum of Scotland.
The museum said Thursday its board of trustees approved the First Nation's request to transfer the pole back to its home in northwest B.C.
A delegation of Nisga'a leaders travelled to Edinburgh last August to ask that the 11-metre pole be returned to their territory.
Nisga'a Nation Chief Earl Stephens said in a statement their people believe the hand-carved pole is alive with the spirit of an ancestor and it's now coming home to rest.
“After nearly 100 years, we are finally able to bring our dear relative home to rest on Nisga'a lands,” said Stephens. “It means so much for us to have the Ni'isjoohl memorial pole returned to us, so that we can connect our family, nation and our future generations with our living history.”
The memorial pole was taken without consent in 1929 by an ethnographer researching Nisga'a village life, who then sold it to the Scottish museum where it has been on display since 1930.
A museum statement says the Ni'isjoohl Memorial Pole was carved from red cedar in 1855 in memorial of Ts'aawit, a Nisga'a chief.
The pole includes a series of interlocking figures relating to the chief's family history through his ancestors, family crests and his clan, says the museum.
It originally stood in front of the home of the chief's relatives located near B.C.'s Nass River and is currently on display in the Living Lands gallery at the National Museum of Scotland, says the museum.
The museum's decision to bring the memorial totem back to its home adds to the ongoing story of the history of the Nisga'a Nation, said Dr. Amy Parent, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous education and governance.
“Our hearts have been moved with the commitment to return our family's cultural treasure, which enables us to create a new story to re-right a colonial wrong with the honour, dignity and solidarity of the Scottish peoples who are walking beside us on our decolonizing journeys,” she said in a statement.
The museum said it will begin planning the safe removal of the totem from its display location and prepare it for transport to B.C.
“We are pleased to have reached this agreement and to be able to transfer the memorial pole to its people and to the place where its spiritual significance is most keenly understood,” said Chris Breward, the director of National Museums Scotland, in a statement. “We hope this is not the end of the process but the next step in a fruitful and ongoing relationship with the Nisga'a.”
The decision to transfer the memorial totem back to the Nisga'a Nation required and received the approval of the Scottish government, said Ian Russell, board chairman of the trustees of National Museums Scotland.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 1, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Budget 2024 'likely to be the worst' in decades, former BoC governor says
Without having seen it, former Bank of Canada governor David Dodge believes that Tuesday's 2024 federal budget from Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is 'likely to be the worst budget' in decades.
What's at stake for Canada after Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel
Following the Iranian missile and drone strikes against Israel over the weekend, Canada should take the threat of Iran and potential escalation of the conflict seriously, one global affairs analyst says.
Former B.C. school trustee's 'strip-tease artist' remark was defamatory, judge rules
A controversial former school trustee from B.C.'s Fraser Valley who described a political rival as a "strip-tease artist" during an election campaign has been ordered to pay her $45,000 for defamation.
'A sense of urgency': Sask. man accused of abducting daughter calls himself to the stand during trial
Michael Gordon Jackson, the man on trial after being charged with contravention of a custody order for allegedly abducting his daughter in late 2021 to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, called himself to the stand Monday.
Kingston, Ont.'s Aaliyah Edwards drafted into WNBA
After four years at the University of Connecticut, Edwards was selected sixth overall by the Washington Mystics in the WNBA draft Monday night.
NASA confirms mystery object that crashed through roof of Florida home came from space station
NASA confirmed Monday that a mystery object that crashed through the roof of a Florida home last month was a chunk of space junk from equipment discarded at the International Space Station.
A knife attack in Australia against a bishop and a priest is being treated as terrorism, police say
Horrified worshippers watched online and in person as a bishop was stabbed at the altar during a church service in Sydney on Sunday evening.
Body of 14-year-old boy pulled from Lake Ontario, police say he drowned while swimming
The body of a 14-year-old boy has been pulled from Lake Ontario after police say he drowned while swimming near Ashbridges Bay Park on Sunday night.
'Rust' armourer gets 18 months in prison for fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin on set
A movie weapons supervisor was sentenced to 18 months in prison in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on the set of 'Rust.'