Five months after losing one of its most treasured attractions, a raven totem pole will soon again tower over the town of Jasper.

Minister of Environment Jim Prentice made the announcement on Sept. 6 in Jasper, stating that the Haida Gwaii have been commissioned to sculpt a new totem for the town and the original totem will be sent back to the Haida in Masset, British Columbia.

“It will stand proudly in Jasper as a proud reminder of our special history with First Nations and Jasper National Park,” Prentice said.

The new pole will cost about $300,000 and is expected to be erected within a year’s time, Prentice said. Funding will come from the Jasper National Park ‘Schedule A operational budget’ funding, so there is no new federal money to pay for the totem.

Jasper’s old totem pole had stood for 93 years, after it was acquired by Grand Trunk Railroad from the Haida, but was removed in April 2009 due to safety concerns. That totem was showing signs of rot, and will be returned to the Haida nation in the Queen Charlotte Islands. 

“It’s important to the country that this totem be returned,” Prentice said.

The old pole, which is estimated to be more than 130 years old, once sat outside a longhouse in Masset. The poles were symbols of various families in the community, and this particular pole belonged to the Raven clan, although it was carved by the Eagle clan.

Grand Trunk Railroad acquired the pole, along with several other totems, near the turn of the century and erected them at various train stations in Western Canada. Although it was originally 70 ft high, it was cut down to 40 feet in the 1950s. The new pole will measure between 30 and 40 feet high.

Prentice said the return of the pole is a ‘very unusual circumstance’ but an important activity for the nation to do.

“It is a very important pole that needed to go back where it came from,” Prentice said.

Joined by MP Rob Merrifield, Prentice told the crowd that he remembers the totem pole from his first visit to the park in 1969, where he was inspired by it. Decades later, as the minister responsible for Parks Canada, he would realize the true origins of the totem.

Giindajin Haawasti Guujaaw, a Haida carver from the Raven clan, said he’s happy to see the return of the raven totem. Totems are appearing all over the world, he said, as they are appreciated as works of art and symbols of the Haida culture, which inform the audience of the relationship between humans and nature.

“It will be quite an honour to see this old pole come back. It has a lot of history with it.

“It might seem a little out of context in Jasper, we have poles in Indonesia and Japan as we have poles all over as we claim the earth,” he joked.

Guujaaw (which means drum), said it can take between six and eight months to carve a totem, once the proper tree is selected. A carver also needs to be chosen. He likened the totem to the ‘Eiffel tower of Jasper,’ and hopes the new pole will continue to symbolize one’s relationship with nature.

While the actual design has yet to be worked out between the artists and Parks Canada, the new totem will look different than the old one, as Guujaaw said the new totem could reflect the wildlife around Jasper.

“We might consider using some creatures local to the region, like mountain goats and wolves,” Guujaaw said.

Joining the announcement was Haida chief Stihlda, Frank Collison. The Haida people pass names through generations, and Stihlda was the name of the carver of the original totem. The name now belongs to Collision, who said he was supportive of the new totem.

“It’s a wonderful expression of what people have deep inside them for roots of the land. We want others to experience that,” Collison said.

Jasper National Park Superintendent Greg Fenton said he’s excited at the opportunity to work with the Haida carvers. While simply replicating the old totem was an idea, creating a new piece will begin a new story.

“They suggested we start something new and keep the story going in terms of the totem,” Fenton said.

Fenton said tracking the progress of the totems will provide parks with new opportunities.

“There could be more story telling opportunities with the return of the old totem, which will likely take place.”

Mayor Richard Ireland said a new pole will be another element of the Jasper experience, and he’s curious to hear the outcome of the old totem.

“I’m as excited to hear about the old one as I am about the new one. It speaks to the value of the relationship between Parks Canada and First Nations,” Mayor Ireland said.

The old totem still sits in the Parks Canada compound by the railway tracks, covered by a tarp to protect it from the elements. Guujaaw said several layers of paint will be stripped from the totem and some of the blemishes will be fixed. Politicians from the Canadian and Haida government toured the old totem Sunday, as the Haida carefully inspected the craftsmanship on the pole, which art appraisers have placed in seven figure category.

“Jasper needs a totem pole and I’m really glad there will be another pole to replace the one standing here,” Guujaaw said.