lək̓ʷəŋən - Vancouver Island

Until the potlatch ban was lifted in 1951, totem poles were displaced and appropriated by Europeans, taken away from their homes and brought to museums and parks around the world. Christian missionaries also encouraged the cutting down of totem poles, which they saw as obstacles to converting Indigenous peoples.

The juxtaposition between Victoria’s Parliament House, the Kwakiutl (Kwakwaka’wakw) Bear totem pole and the bagpipes made for perfect “en plein air” conditions.