The National Museum of Scotland have confirmed they will return a memorial pole back to what is now British Columbia after nearly a century.
The Edinburgh attraction announced that the House of Ni'isjoohl Memorial Pole will be moved to Canada following a request and visit from the Nisga'a Nation was made.
Initially put on display in 1930, the museum stated that they were committed to promoting dialogue concerning artefacts associated with the country's "colonial history and difficult legacies."
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First carved out in 1855 by artist Oyea Tait, the pole was made in memorial of Ts’aawit, a Nisga'a chief of British Columbia, Canada.
Showing a series of interlocking figures relating to Ts’aawit's family history through his ancestors, family crests, and his clan, the pole originally stood in front of the house of Ts’aawit's relatives in Ank’idaa village on the Nass River.
Formally agreed on Wednesday, the decision to move the pole back to Canada was approved by the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture.
Dr Chris Breward, Director of National Museums Scotland said: “We are committed to promoting understanding and dialogue with respect to those parts of the Museum’s collection associated with our nation’s colonial history and its difficult legacies. The fact that our Trustees have agreed to this request demonstrates our readiness to act on this commitment.
"We are pleased to have reached this agreement and to be able to transfer the Memorial Pole to its people and to the place where its spiritual significance is most keenly understood. We hope this is not the end of the process but the next step in a fruitful and ongoing relationship with the Nisga’a.”
Sim'oogit Ni'ijoohl (Chief Earl Stephens) of Nisga’a Nation added: "In Nisga’a culture, we believe that this pole is alive with the spirit of our ancestor. After nearly one hundred years, we are finally able to bring our dear relative home to rest on Nisga’a lands.
"In 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."
Following the decision, staff at National Museums Scotland will now begin planning the complex task of safely removing the 11-metre pole from its display location and preparing it for transport to British Columbia.
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