A long time ago, when only one man and his family lived near what’s now called Gibsons, a brother appeared as if out of thin air. Motivated by greed, he sought to take all that he could, until a sea lion transformed from cedar arrived on the scene.
So begins the Skwxwú7-mesh origin story of Chek-welhp, the area around Gibsons and Langdale, and as of April 18, a totem pole stands at Gibsons Elementary School to commemorate that story.
“My vision was to tell the story of Chekwelhp … one of our creation stories about the beginning of time and first man,” said carver Wes Nahanee, whose traditional name is Chiaxsten.
The first man, Tskan-chtn, stands at the bottom of the nearly 18-foot (5.5-metre) pole. The sea lion is the second figure, and at the top of the pole is Sxelàltn, known as the greedy brother.
The idea for the welcome pole came as Gibsons Elementary was being built. “We wanted something that would be an opportunity for Indigenous students to walk on the campus and understand their culture is respected here,” said Kerry Mahlman, district principal, Aboriginal education.
The raising ceremony took place on April 19, but it took four years to complete the pole. The cedar was sourced from Twin Creek log sort, and because it was drenched with water it had to dry for two years until cracks could close up and form a smooth surface for carving. Nahanee then set to work. Eventually, the pole was sent back to North Vancouver, where Nahanee lives, so that he could work on it more consistently. It was shipped over with the help of Gibsons Building Supplies.
In order to get it ready for the raising, Nahanee recruited family members to help. After several 12- to 18-hour days of sanding and staining, the pole was ready.
“It was pretty emotional,” Nahanee said. “I’ve done other projects before but they’ve never affected me the way this one did.” His daughter attended Gibsons Elementary before his family moved to North Vancouver. “I felt so relieved it was done.”
By brushing the pole and carver with cedar boughs dipped in fresh water, a separation can occur, allowing the feelings wrapped up in the experience of carving to be washed away when the boughs are placed in a stream. Alroy Baker of the Skwxwú7mesh Nation spoke to the crowd about the ceremony and invited Nahanee to tell the origin story.
“Of course in an afternoon ceremony with kids sitting outside we didn’t want to spend as much time as we would love to hear the entire story, which is quite lengthy,” Mahlman said. Ceremony witnesses were Andy Johnson of shíshálh Nation, Keith Julius, SCRD director for shíshálh Nation, Patrick Bocking, superintendent of School District No. 46, and Deborah Luporini, principal of Gibsons Elementary School.
Origin stories are sacred, and Mahlman said SD46 staff is planning to meet with elders who will tell them the story in its complete form. That story may then be shared with the public. Mahlman is also planning a math unit that will draw on the physics and mathematics involved in raising the pole.
