A totem pole loaned in the 1980s will soon be removed from the famous collection in Stanley Park at Brockton Point.
The Kakaso’las totem pole is part of the popular tourist site and one of 10 poles. While poles have been at the site since the 1960s, the Kakaso’las pole, carved by Kwakwaka'wakw artist Ellen Neel, joined the group in the 1980s.
Now, its time in the park is coming to an end and it's being returned to the Museum of Anthropology (MOA).
"The relocation of the pole back to the museum is happening in close coordination with MOA and Ellen Neel’s family, due to the age and condition of the pole," reads a press release from the City of Vancouver.
"Based on an assessment of the pole, the Neel family decided that the pole should return to MOA where it can be preserved into the future and continue to tell the history of Ellen Neel and her legacy," it continues.
It'll be relocated on Sept. 4, 2024.
The Kakaso’las totem
Brockton Point has been home to a group of totem poles since the 1960s, and is one of Stanley Park's most well-known attractions.
Neel carved the pole in Stanley Park in 1955 with help from her sons, but it didn't go directly to the park; it was actually one of five poles commissioned by Woodward's, according to the city.
Standing six metres tall, it features a thunderbird at the top, with a whale on its chest. Beneath it is a sea bear holding an orca, a man holding a frog and legendary Kwakwaka'wakw characters Bak'was and Dzunuk’wa. Its base is a raven.
Woodward's donated the pole to the museum in 1984; after it was restored by Neel's son Robert, it was loaned to be installed at Brockton Point.
