A Nisga乌鸦传媒檃 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 Nisga乌鸦传媒檃 memorial pole currently resides.

According to a statement released by the Nisga乌鸦传媒檃 Lisims Government (NLG), the totem pole was taken in 1929 by ethnographer Marius Barbeau, who later sold it to the museum.

The Ni乌鸦传媒檌sjoohl memorial pole was carved and erected in 1860s for the House of Ni乌鸦传媒檌sjoohl 乌鸦传媒� one of the 50 Nisga乌鸦传媒檃 house groups.

The pole tells the story of Ts乌鸦传媒檞awit, a warrior who was next in line to be chief before he was killed in a conflict with a neighbouring nation.

The Nisga乌鸦传媒檃 said the pole was acquired by Barbeau, during a period in which the 乌鸦传媒渦nethical and illegal collecting of Indigenous belongings by settles and anthropologists was common in Canada.乌鸦传媒�

The pole was taken without consent when House of Ni乌鸦传媒檌sjoohl members were away from for the annual food harvesting season.

乌鸦传媒淭he pole holds significant knowledge within its carvings, and can serve as a form of curriculum for the next generation to learn a Nisga乌鸦传媒檃 way of life through oral history,乌鸦传媒� said the NLG in a statement.

The delegation, consisting of Sim乌鸦传媒檕ogit Ni乌鸦传媒檌sjoohl (chief Earl Stephens), Noxs Ts乌鸦传媒檃awit (Dr. Amy Parent) and Shawna McKay, will meet with officials from the National Museum of Scotland on Aug.22.

乌鸦传媒淭his will be the first time in living memory that members of the House of Ni乌鸦传媒檌sjoohl will be able to see the memorial pole with our own eyes,乌鸦传媒� said Sim乌鸦传媒檕ogit Ni乌鸦传媒檌sjoohl (Earl Stephens). 乌鸦传媒淭his visit will be deeply emotional for us all.乌鸦传媒�

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 Ts乌鸦传媒檃awit (Dr. Parent) who is the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Education and Governance at the Simon Fraser University.

乌鸦传媒淭he repatriation of the Ni乌鸦传媒檚joohl house pole is one step the National Museum of Scotland can take towards reconciliation through concrete action,乌鸦传媒� she added.

The landmark Nisga乌鸦传媒檃 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 Nisga乌鸦传媒檃 memorial pole would be the second ever pole to be repatriated back to Canada from a European museum. The Haisla G乌鸦传媒檖sgolox pole remains the first and only First Nations pole to have been repatriated to northwestern B.C. from the Sweden乌鸦传媒檚 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 Nisga乌鸦传媒檃 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 Nisga乌鸦传媒檃 Nation to view the memorial pole, share information on it and share their procedure for considering requests for the transfer of objects.

乌鸦传媒淲e welcome open dialogue and foster collaboration with communities for whom objects in the collection have special relevance,乌鸦传媒� the museum spokesperson said.

Editor乌鸦传媒檚 note: The article has been updated to include a statement from the National Museums of Scotland

binny.paul@blackpress.ca
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