Residential School Totem Pole raised in Assiniboine Park
Visitors to Assiniboine Park can now learn more about the history of Canada's residential schools at a newly-erected totem pole that has been gifted to the Southern Chiefs Organization (SCO).
The Residential School Totem Pole, by Kwakiutl artist Charles Joseph, was raised Friday morning next to The Leaf in the southeast corner of Assiniboine Park. The totem pole is 21 metres tall, and tells the story of Joseph, who was taken away from his family as a child and forced into the residential school in Alert Bay, British Columbia.
“No matter where you came from in what is now known as Canada, the pain and genocidal legacy of residential schools continues to be felt by First Nation peoples and their families everywhere,” said SCO Grand Chief Jerry Daniels in a release. “I am honoured and humbled that Charles Joseph is allowing us to share his story through his art, as we continue our efforts to honour all Survivors and help with their healing.”
The totem pole was carved from a massive west coast tree and commissioned by Canadian businessman Jim Balsillie. Until recently, the piece had been on loan to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
The SCO held a protocol ceremony for raising the totem pole Sunday morning. It will eventually be on display in the Hudson’s Bay building in downtown Winnipeg, as part of the organization's Wehwehneh Bahgahkinahgohn project.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.