A NisgaB次元官网网址檃 delegation is heading to Scotland to begin discussions about returning a memorial pole that was taken out of the Nass Valley in the late 1920s.
The delegation will meet with officials from the National Museum of Scotland where the NisgaB次元官网网址檃 memorial pole currently resides.
According to a statement released by the NisgaB次元官网网址檃 Lisims Government (NLG), the totem pole was taken in 1929 by ethnographer Marius Barbeau, who later sold it to the museum.
The NiB次元官网网址檌sjoohl memorial pole was carved and erected in 1860s for the House of NiB次元官网网址檌sjoohl B次元官网网址� one of the 50 NisgaB次元官网网址檃 house groups.
The pole tells the story of TsB次元官网网址檞awit, a warrior who was next in line to be chief before he was killed in a conflict with a neighbouring nation.
The NisgaB次元官网网址檃 said the pole was acquired by Barbeau, during a period in which the B次元官网网址渦nethical and illegal collecting of Indigenous belongings by settles and anthropologists was common in Canada.B次元官网网址�
The pole was taken without consent when House of NiB次元官网网址檌sjoohl members were away from for the annual food harvesting season.
B次元官网网址淭he pole holds significant knowledge within its carvings, and can serve as a form of curriculum for the next generation to learn a NisgaB次元官网网址檃 way of life through oral history,B次元官网网址� said the NLG in a statement.
The delegation, consisting of SimB次元官网网址檕ogit NiB次元官网网址檌sjoohl (chief Earl Stephens), Noxs TsB次元官网网址檃awit (Dr. Amy Parent) and Shawna McKay, will meet with officials from the National Museum of Scotland on Aug.22.
B次元官网网址淭his will be the first time in living memory that members of the House of NiB次元官网网址檌sjoohl will be able to see the memorial pole with our own eyes,B次元官网网址� said SimB次元官网网址檕ogit NiB次元官网网址檌sjoohl (Earl Stephens). B次元官网网址淭his visit will be deeply emotional for us all.B次元官网网址�
The repatriation of the pole is also subject to Article 12 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, of which the United Kingdom is also a signatory, said Noxs TsB次元官网网址檃awit (Dr. Parent) who is the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Education and Governance at the Simon Fraser University.
B次元官网网址淭he repatriation of the NiB次元官网网址檚joohl house pole is one step the National Museum of Scotland can take towards reconciliation through concrete action,B次元官网网址� she added.
The landmark NisgaB次元官网网址檃 agreement (1999) was also the first modern treaty to include major provisions for repatriation. As of Sept. 2010, more than 300 artefacts have been legally returned from the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Royal BC Museum.
If successful, the NisgaB次元官网网址檃 memorial pole would be the second ever pole to be repatriated back to Canada from a European museum. The Haisla GB次元官网网址檖sgolox pole remains the first and only First Nations pole to have been repatriated to northwestern B.C. from the SwedenB次元官网网址檚 Museum of Ethnography in 2006, 79 years after it was taken.
When returned, the pole will become part of a larger research project to explore the philosophy and practices of the NisgaB次元官网网址檃 carving tradition, said the NLG.
In an email statement, the National Museums of Scotland said they are looking forward to hosting a delegation from the NisgaB次元官网网址檃 Nation to view the memorial pole, share information on it and share their procedure for considering requests for the transfer of objects.
B次元官网网址淲e welcome open dialogue and foster collaboration with communities for whom objects in the collection have special relevance,B次元官网网址� the museum spokesperson said.
EditorB次元官网网址檚 note: The article has been updated to include a statement from the National Museums of Scotland
binny.paul@blackpress.ca
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