G’psgolox Totem Pole
Object or Group Name
G’psgolox Totem Pole
Case Summary
This totem pole was commissioned by Chief G'psgolox (Paddy McDonald) of the Eagle Clan in 1872. It was carved by Raven Clan master carvers Humdzeed and Wakas. The pole stood in the village of Mis’kusa until 1928, when Indian Agent Iver Fougner cut down the pole on the request of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
The pole was briefly displayed outside at the Museum of Ethnography in Stockholm, Sweden. The pole was then stored horizontally in a barn used as a storeroom for 50 years. Restoration was conducted on the pole beginning in 1975, after which it was placed into the new Museum of Ethnography in 1980.
Between 1989 and 1991, calls for repatriation began coming from both Canadian museums and from the Haisla Nation. Repatriation negotiations took place between 1991 and 2006, supported by further requests and support for repatriation from government representatives and community members in Canada. This process is recorded in the 2003 documentary "Totem: The return of the G’psgolox Pole” by Gil Cardinal.
As part of the repatriation negotiations, Sweden and Canada sponsored two replica poles, carved by Raven Clan carvers Henry Robertson, Barry Wilson, Derek Wilson and Patricia Robertson. One pole was given to the Museum of Ethnography in Sweden, and the other was erected in the original location of the G'psgolox Pole in Mis'kusa.
Repatriation negotiations continued until 2006. The Swedish Government had concerns about the preservation of the original pole and its conditions of storage in Canada. It was displayed at the UBC Museum of Anthropology, then later at a shopping mall in Haisla territory. In 2012, the decision was made to move the pole to a graveyard in the Kitlope Valley, where it once again stands as a mortuary pole, marking a sacred space.
The pole was briefly displayed outside at the Museum of Ethnography in Stockholm, Sweden. The pole was then stored horizontally in a barn used as a storeroom for 50 years. Restoration was conducted on the pole beginning in 1975, after which it was placed into the new Museum of Ethnography in 1980.
Between 1989 and 1991, calls for repatriation began coming from both Canadian museums and from the Haisla Nation. Repatriation negotiations took place between 1991 and 2006, supported by further requests and support for repatriation from government representatives and community members in Canada. This process is recorded in the 2003 documentary "Totem: The return of the G’psgolox Pole” by Gil Cardinal.
As part of the repatriation negotiations, Sweden and Canada sponsored two replica poles, carved by Raven Clan carvers Henry Robertson, Barry Wilson, Derek Wilson and Patricia Robertson. One pole was given to the Museum of Ethnography in Sweden, and the other was erected in the original location of the G'psgolox Pole in Mis'kusa.
Repatriation negotiations continued until 2006. The Swedish Government had concerns about the preservation of the original pole and its conditions of storage in Canada. It was displayed at the UBC Museum of Anthropology, then later at a shopping mall in Haisla territory. In 2012, the decision was made to move the pole to a graveyard in the Kitlope Valley, where it once again stands as a mortuary pole, marking a sacred space.
Number of Objects
1
Object Type
Monument – obelisks, stelae, tombstones, totem poles
Funerary Object – coffins, mummy portraits, grave goods
Culture
Haisla
Museum Name
The Museum of Ethnography (Sweden)
Receiving Country
Canada
Indigenous or sovereign nation/tribe
Sources
G’psgolox pole returns home after 77 years, First totem ever to be repatriated from overseas
https://web.archive.org/web/20120414005553/http://ecotrust.ca/g%E2%80%99psgolox-pole-returns-home-after-77-years-first-totem-ever-be-repatriated-oversea
https://web.archive.org/web/20120414005553/http://ecotrust.ca/g%E2%80%99psgolox-pole-returns-home-after-77-years-first-totem-ever-be-repatriated-oversea
The case of Chief G’psgolox’s totem pole: “Rescuing”, keeping, and returning
https://balticworlds.com/the-case-of-chief-gpsgoloxs-totem-pole/
https://balticworlds.com/the-case-of-chief-gpsgoloxs-totem-pole/
Totem: The Return of the G'psgolox Pole
https://collection.nfb.ca/film/totem_the_return_of_the_gpsgolox_pole
https://collection.nfb.ca/film/totem_the_return_of_the_gpsgolox_pole
Images
By Unknown author - This file was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the Museum of Ethnography in cooperation with Wikimedia Sverige., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83029218
MOLA Contributor(s)
Katherine Davidson
Peer Reviewed By
Jason Felch
Citation
“G’psgolox Totem Pole,” Museum of Looted Antiquities, accessed October 8, 2026, https://mola.omeka.net/items/show/1939.