A piece of history from Victoria’s Inner Harbour will soon be on the move.
The Kwakiutl Bear Pole, which has stood at the corner of Belleville and Government streets since 1966, is to be respectfully returned to the family of the artist who carved it, Henry Hunt of the Kwakwaka’wakw First Nation, says the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA).
Despite repairs and repainting in 2014, the condition of the pole has continued to deteriorate, prompting the decision to return it.
Totem poles are living artworks with a natural life cycle, typically lasting about 50 years. When possible, they are allowed to return to the earth on the lands where they stand. But as the Kwakiutl Bear Pole is located on a busy sidewalk, it will instead be brought home to the Hunt family for its next chapter at their property in Fort Rupert.
“It’s amazing to think about how many people from around the world have learned about First Nations’ art and culture through this totem pole,” said Hunt’s son Stan Hunt in a news release. “We are grateful that the pole has been hosted on Lekwungen territory for so many years.”
The landmark cedar totem pole, carved in the Kwakwaka’wakw carving tradition, was created to commemorate the 1866 union of the colonies of Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia.
Nineteen totem poles by nine carvers, were commissioned and placed at prominent locations across the province. They became known as the Route of the Totems.
“This totem pole has been an important part of the waterfront for decades and has been enjoyed by countless visitors and residents,” said Judith Ethier, acting CEO of GVHA. “As it reaches the end of its time in the Inner Harbour, we are honoured to return it to the Hunt family with gratitude for its enduring presence and the stories it has carried.”
The removal will be carried out in a manner that honours cultural protocol and the wishes of the Hunt family and the local Nations.
A new cedar planter with local Indigenous plants will be installed at Belleville and Government while GVHA consults with the Songhees Nation and the Esquimalt Nation on a new Lekwungen artwork as part of its placemaking initiative.