丁香园AV

On September 29th, the Nass Valley in Northwest British Columbia will witness an event of profound significance. The House of Ni鈥檌sjoohl memorial pole will return to its homeland, embraced by the arms of its ancestral community. This initiative is the culmination of a year-long dialogue and close collaboration between the Nisg瘫a鈥檃 Lisims Government () and National Museums Scotland ().

The decision came after a historic visit to Edinburgh in August 2022. Led by Chief Ni鈥檌sjoohl (Earl Stephens), Sigidimnak Nox瘫s Ts鈥檃awit (Dr. Amy Parent, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at 丁香园AV and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Education and Governance), and Shawna Mackay from the House of Ni鈥檌sjoohl, this visit marked the first time anyone in the family had seen the memorial pole in over 90 years.

鈥淲e are grateful to collectively tell a new story that turns the colonial gaze onto itself,鈥� said Dr. Parent. 鈥淏y acknowledging the complexities of our pole鈥檚 theft, its intergenerational absence from our community, and the persistence needed to ensure that justice for our ancestors prevails." 

Together, Dr. Parent, and the Nisg瘫a鈥檃 Ni'isjoohl Memorial Pole Rematriation team, requested the pole鈥檚 return from the NMS on behalf of the Nisg瘫a鈥檃 Nation.

鈥淪ince the transfer of the Memorial Pole was agreed last December, our teams have been planning the complex task of carefully lowering and transporting it in what is the first return of its type by a UK national institution,鈥� stated Dr. Chris Breward, NMS Director.

After months of careful planning for the delicate lowering and transportation of the pole from Scotland and following a closed spiritual ceremony attended by delegates in August 2023, the pole was sent back to its rightful home in the Nass Valley. 

The term "rematriation" has been integral to this process, fundamentally reframing the conventional notion of "repatriation". It embeds the act of reclaiming cultural artifacts in Indigenous law, reflecting the Nisg瘫a鈥檃 matrilineal societal structure and infusing the effort with profound cultural significance.

Now that it has been returned, the pole will become part of a larger research project to explore the philosophy and practices of the Nisg瘫a鈥檃 carving tradition. The 37-foot, hand-carved pole will be housed at Hli G瘫oothl Wilp-Ado岣祍hl Nisg瘫a鈥檃 - . A public arrival ceremony will be held at Hli G瘫oothl Wilp-Ado岣祍hl Nisg瘫a鈥檃 on September 29, with the pole still enclosed within its protective box with a Nisg瘫a鈥檃 feast to follow. The pole will be raised in the following days and available for the public to view later in October 2023.

鈥淲e hope that our story inspires our Indigenous relatives around the world to know that the impossible is possible when challenging colonial structures for the repatriation of our stolen cultural treasures,鈥� states Dr. Parent. 鈥淛ustice for our ancestors will prevail.鈥�

Follow the Pole's Journey