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News
Nisga’a Nation’s Stolen Memorial Pole to be Returned by the National Museum of Scotland in Historic Decision
The Nisg瘫a鈥檃 Lisims Government that as of December 1, 2022, a long-stolen memorial totem pole will be returned to the Nisg瘫a鈥檃 Nation in northwestern British Columbia, following a historic decision by National Museums Scotland. This Ni鈥檌sjoohl memorial pole is the first totem pole successfully repatriated from the United Kingdom, and the second to be returned from a European museum.
The decision came after a historic visit to Edinburgh in August. Led by Chief Ni鈥檌sjoohl (Earl Stephens), Sigidimnak Nox瘫s Ts鈥檃awit (Dr. Amy Parent, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Education and Governance), and Shawna Mackay from the House of Ni鈥檌sjoohl, the visit was the first time anyone in the family had seen the memorial pole in more than 90 years. This visit allowed the delegation to not only view the memorial pole but to proceed with a formal request to transfer the pole to Canada.
鈥淥ur hearts have been moved with the commitment to return our family鈥檚 cultural treasure, which enables us to create a new story to re-right a colonial wrong with the honour, dignity and solidarity of the Scottish Peoples who are walking beside us on our decolonizing journeys鈥�, says Parent.
The memorial pole belongs to the House of Ni鈥檌sjoohl from the Ganada (frog clan) in the Nisg瘫a鈥檃 Nation. Commissioned in 1860, it was stolen in the summer of 1929 by Canadian colonial anthropologist Marius Barbeau, who removed the pole from the Nisg瘫a鈥檃 village of Ankida鈥檃 without consent and sold it to the Royal Scottish Museum (now National Museum of Scotland), where it has been housed since 1930.
When 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.
鈥淭he repatriation of the Ni鈥檌sjoohl memorial pole to our family and Nation brings important legislation, such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, to life in a powerful way鈥�, Parent added.
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. Justice for our ancestors will prevail.鈥�