US EditionProminent totem pole returning to family after nearly 60 years due to deterioration
The 1966 cedar totem pole by Henry Hunt is being preserved offsite after nearly 60 years due to natural wear, reflecting its 50-year life cycle, Greater Victoria Harbour Authority said.
- On Oct. 20, 2025, the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority announced Henry Hunt's Kwakiutl Bear Totem pole, carved during Canada’s centennial, will be returned to the artist's family.
- After nearly six decades of coastal exposure, totem poles are living artworks with a natural lifespan of about 50 years; the pole was repaired and repainted in 2014 but continued to deteriorate.
- Installed as part of the Route of the Totems, the pole at Belleville and Government streets was one of 19 commemorating the 1866 union of Vancouver Island and mainland B.C.
- Officials say the pole will soon be transported home to Fort Rupert to rest on the Hunt family property, with removal following cultural protocol under guidance from the Hunt family and local Nations.
- Because it occupies a busy sidewalk, GVHA will install a cedar planter and consult the Songhees Nation and Esquimalt Nation to create new Indigenous artwork.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Prominent totem pole returning to family after nearly 60 years due to deterioration (BC)
The Greater Vancouver Harbour Authority says a carved cedar totem pole that has stood between the ocean and British Columbia's Parliament buildings since 1966 will be returned to the family of the artist due to its deterioration. A statement from the authority says the Kwakiutl Bear Pole carved by K...
Prominent totem pole returning to family after nearly 60 years due to deterioration
The Greater Vancouver Harbour Authority says a carved cedar totem pole that has stood between the ocean and British Columbia’s Parliament buildings since 1966 will be returned to the family of the artist due to its deterioration.
Prominent totem pole returning to family after nearly 60 years due to deterioration – Energeticcity.ca
VICTORIA — The Greater Vancouver Harbour Authority says a carved cedar totem pole that has stood between the ocean and British Columbia’s Parliament buildings since 1966 will be returned to the family of the artist due to its deterioration. A statement from the authority says the Kwakiutl Bear Pole carved by Kwakwaka’wakw artist Henry Hunt was repaired and repainted in 2014, but further deterioration has prompted its move to Fort Rupert on the n…
Totem pole in Victoria's Inner Harbour being removed and returned to carver's family
A totem pole that has stood in Victoria’s Inner Harbour since 1966 will be returned to the carver’s home on North Vancouver Island due to the deterioration over time. The Kwakiutl Bear Totem pole was carved by Henry Hunt of the Kwakwaka’wakw First Nation as part of a centenary project that marked the 100th anniversary of the union of the colonies of Vancouver Island and mainland B.C. It was one of 19 poles that were placed at prominant locations…
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