Return of Nisga’a Nation pole from National Museums Scotland begins

The process of returning a 37-foot memorial pole from National Museums Scotland (NMS) to the Nisga’a Nation indigenous community in Canada has now begun.

The hand-carved red cedar pole had been on display at Edinburgh's National Museum of Scotland since 1930. It is set to complete its journey home in September, and be available for public view in October.

The transfer was formally agreed in December. It follows a “year-long discussion and close collaboration” between the Nisg̱a’a Nation and NMS, the museum service said.

A delegation from the Nisg̱a’a Lisims Government has travelled to the National Museum of Scotland to oversee the start of the return. A spiritual ceremony was held yesterday to prepare the pole for its journey.

The item will be taken to Terrace in British Columbia and then driven in a family procession to Lax̱g̱alts’ap, a Nisg̱a’a village in the Nass Valley. It will be housed there at Hli G̱oothl Wilp-Adoḵshl Nisg̱a’a – the Nisga’a Museum.

A public arrival ceremony will be held in the village on 29 September. The pole will then be raised in the following days, and available for the public to view “later in October”.

NMS is using the term “rematriation” to refer to the return. It says this “reframes the concept of ‘repatriation’ by grounding the process of recovering belongings in Indigenous law — and is more closely in alignment with Nisga’a matrilineal society”.

The pole belongs to the House of Ni’isjoohl from the G̱anada (frog clan) in the Nisg̱a’a Nation. In 1860, House of Ni’isjoohl Matriarch Joanna Moody commissioned it to be carved by the Nisg̱a’a master carver Oyee to honour her family member Ts’awit, who was next in line to be chief.

The item was brought to Scotland almost a century ago, and has been on display in the National Museum of Scotland since 1930.

Sim’oogit Ni’isjoohl (Chief Earl Stephens) of the Nisga’a Nation said: “In Nisg̱a’a culture, we believe that this pole is alive with the spirit of our ancestors. After nearly 100 years, we are finally able to bring our dear relative home to rest on Nisg̱a’a lands. It means so much for us to have the Ni’isjoohl memorial pole returned to us, so that we can connect our family, nation and our future generations with our living history.”

Eva Clayton, president of Nisg̱a’a Lisims Government, said: “Our hearts are at peace knowing that we are changing history with a precedent-setting transformational story of collaboration with the people of Scotland and Canada.”

NMS director Chris Breward said: “Since the transfer of the memorial pole was agreed last December, our teams have been planning the complex task of carefully lowering and transporting it in what is the first return of its type by a UK national institution.

“We are pleased to have reached the point where that work is now underway, and we are delighted to have welcomed the Nisga’a delegation to the museum before we bid the pole farewell.”