A pts'aan (totem pole) is set to make its way home to Nisga'a Nation territory after living at the University of British Columbia's (UBC) Museum of Anthropology since 1947.
The totem pole was purchased by agents on behalf of UBC under circumstances considered by many to be unethical, during the a time when many Indigenous cultural practices—including pole-raising ceremonies—were outlawed. Now the totem pole is headed home, with a raising ceremony set for Sept. 25 at the Nisga'a Museum in Laxgalts'ap (Greenville), B.C., according to a press release from the Nisga'a Lisims Government.
The pts'aan is that of the Nisga'a Wilps Laay' (Eagle-Halibut Clan). It was carved around 1860 by Oyai, a master Nisga'a carver, according to a report on the totem pole prepared for UBC's board of directors in 2024. The pts'aan tells the history of Wilps Laay' and it was raised in the village of Gwinwok.
In 1947, UBC's board of directors formed a committee with the mandate to gather and preserve totem poles, according to the 2024 report.
"It was rooted in colonialism and based on the twin constructs of assimilation and ‘dying’ Indigenous peoples," the 2024 report said of the 1947 committee's mandate. "A view that promoted the need to salvage poles as they were no longer being carved while those poles that still existed needed to be removed before they returned to nature or were taken to museums in Europe and eastern North America"
Marius Barbeau, a Canadian government ethnographer, purchased the pts'aan in 1947 from Sim'oogit (Chief) Laay' (Simon Calder) for $400, according to the 2024 report. The pts'aan was transferred to UBC where it remained until now.
Negotiations for transferring the pole began in 2023. Sim'oogit Laay' (the late Hubert Haldane) met with Rowley and said the family wished their pts'aan be returned and raised in the Nisga'a Museum, the press release said. This wish was affirmed by Bruce Haldane who was named Sim'oogit after his brother Hubert passed away.
In 2024 the Museum of Anthropology drew up plans to move the pts'aan and began working out the details with the Nisga'a Lisims government.
This year, on Aug. 14, the Nisga'a Lisims Government, Wilps Laay', and UBC's Museum of Anthropology coordinated a ceremony blessing the journey the Wilps Laay' pts'aan was about to take.
Eva Clayton, president of the Nisga'a Nation, said the negotiations between Wilps Laay' and the Museum of Anthropology were inspiring.
"As we continue to see our cultural pieces returned, our stories that come with the artifacts and poles revive, traditional carving is revitalized, and culture is strengthened," she said in the press release. "We are thankful for the reconciliation that continues with our friends across the world."
The ceremony at Nisga'a Museum will start at 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 25.
Gitlaxdax Nisga'a Terrace Society is providing transport to Laxgalts'ap for members who wish to attend the ceremony. To register for transportation, members are encouraged to call 250-635-8050.
