ManitobaThe work to build back a Winnipeg totem pole that tells the stories of Canada’s residential school system has begun after it was damaged during a storm this summer.’It’s in my heart to restore it,’ says artist who carved pole that stood in Assiniboine Park since 2022A totem pole in Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park that cracked during a storm in August was lowered by crews on Friday to examine the damage and assess possible ways of repairing it. (Axel Dansereau Macias/Radio-Canada)The work to build back a Winnipeg totem pole that tells the stories of Canada’s residential school system has begun after it was damaged during a storm this summer.The structure was carefully lowered to the ground on Friday to be examined by Charles Joseph, the Kwakiutl First Nation artist who carved the structure more than a decade ago and is determined to fix it.”The story and the meaning of this pole is not ruined, just the top part,” Joseph said. “It’s in my heart to restore it.” The totem pole was raised during Orange Shirt Day in Assiniboine Park in September 2022 after it was given as a gift to the Southern Chiefs’ Organization, which represents 32 First Nations and more than 87,000 citizens in what is now called southern Manitoba.The 21-metre structure has been fenced off from public access after a section at the top cracked in two parts overnight during a storm in late August. SCO co-ordinated with Joseph and a construction partner to remove the structure on Friday.Joseph’s eyes filled with what he said were happy tears as he watched crews dismantle the totem pole, lowering its wings first, then bringing the trunk to the ground, so he can begin to assess the damage. Charles Joseph the Kwakiutl First Nation artist who carved the totem pole more than a decade ago, watches the totem being lowered on Friday. (Axel Dansereau Macias/Radio-Canada)”This is just the first step of the process to rebuild and put back the story … so that it is there forever,” he said. Joseph spent months putting in 14-hour days at his mom’s house to transform a red cedar tree into one of the biggest works of art he’s ever made.The pole captures the stories of residential school survivors, serving as a reminder of the children who went to the institutions but never came back home. Joseph said that while he has tried to put his residential school survivor experience in the past, he thinks it is important to continue sharing it to move forward in reconciliation. “You can’t just put that away because it means a lot to everybody,” he said, and not just residential school survivors but all who have lived through any form of oppression. Charles Joseph says he is determined to fix the pole. But if the damage is too extensive to repair it, he says he will build a new one to capture the story of Canada’s residential schools. (Prabhjot Singh Lotey/CBC)Grand Chief Jerry Daniels said SCO is waiting an evaluation of the damage before determining if the pole can be restored. If it can, he said work will be done to bring the structure back into its original shape.”The story behind this pole is a part of our resilience, it carries the voices of survivors, the memory of those who never returned home,” Daniels said at a news conference on Friday.”That’s the story we want people to hear and to think about when they see the totem pole.”The plan is for the totem pole to be moved permanently to Wehwehneh Bahgahkinahgohn, the former Hudson’s Bay building in downtown Winnipeg, which is now being redeveloped by SCO. Meanwhile Assiniboine Park says it will work with its Indigenous advisory committee to find a replacement for the pole. Joseph is determined the pole can be fixed. But if the damage is so extensive that the structure can’t be restored, the carver said he will replace it with a new one. “The story of this pole it’s going to carry on when I’m not here in this world,” he said. “That’s what makes me feel good, it is knowing that it’s going to be here. The story will be told forever.”WATCH | Restoration begins for iconic Winnipeg totem pole:Restoration begins for iconic Winnipeg totem pole A 21-metre totem pole stood in Assiniboine Park as a symbol of strength and resilience for years, a reminder of what residential school survivors overcame. On Friday, work began to repair the cedar tree carving that was damaged in a storm earlier this year before it is moved to a new home.ABOUT THE AUTHORSantiago Arias Orozco is a journalist with CBC Manitoba currently based in Winnipeg. He previously worked for CBC Toronto and the Toronto Star. You can reach him at santiago.arias.orozco@cbc.ca.With files from Felisha Adam
Winnipeg totem pole linked to residential schools lowered to assess storm damage, start repairs
