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Generations stand tall in totem pole’s rebirth

The rededication of a totem pole at the Inner Harbour on Tuesday showcased the artistic talent that runs through generations of the Hunt family.
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Tony Hunt Jr. performs a ceremonial dance during the rededication of the Kwakiutl Bear Pole. His father, hereditary Kwakwaka'wakw chief Tony Hunt, stands behind him at right.

The rededication of a totem pole at the Inner Harbour on Tuesday showcased the artistic talent that runs through generations of the Hunt family.

The four-metre tall Kwakiutl Bear Pole, which has stood at the corner of Government and Belleville streets since 1966, was celebrated following its refurbishment by hereditary Kwakwaka’wakw chief Tony Hunt.

His father, Henry Hunt, carved the original pole, part of a provincial government-organized project called Route of the Totems.

“There’s poles in every port and every city all the way from here to Prince Rupert,” said Hunt, who has two poles in the collection.

He described his father as “a very humble and gentle man” with great artistic talent. His father created two other poles for the Route of the Totems, including one that stands at the Swartz Bay ferry terminal, Hunt said.

Hunt’s lineage also includes noted Kwakwaka’wakw artist Mungo Martin, who was his grandfather.

Martin carved the totem poles in Thunderbird Park, outside the Royal B.C. Museum.

The Kwakiutl Bear Pole, made from red cedar, is a “very iconic figure,” said Chief Ron Sam of the Songhees Nation.

“Art is a big part of who we are.”

Sam credited the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority for putting together the pole-restoration effort.

Capital Regional District board chairman Alistair Bryson, who also serves as Central Saanich mayor, said Tuesday’s gathering was a meaningful event.

“A rededication ceremony such as today’s is about so many things: history, culture, collaboration and, of course, rebirth.”

The CRD works hard to enhance relations with First Nations, Bryson said.

“We at the Capital Regional District are committed to respectfully and appropriately coming together with First Nations communities,” he said.

“We honour the past it embodies and the future promise it carries forward.”

Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin said the existence of First Nations in Victoria “needs to be more than a memory.”

He said the Kwakiutl Bear Pole is an example of a “physical presence” that needs to be encouraged.

Hunt said it meant a lot to him to be able to restore his father’s work.

“I was very honoured.”

He spent about three weeks on the job, which was done with the pole left in place.

A number of things needed to be done, he said.

“There was some damaged paint with moss on it. On the top, there was about a five-foot deep cavity now with dry rot that had to be cleaned out and then filled back in with cedar.”

He said the pole depicts a bear holding a copper, a plaque symbolic of a chief.

“My father decided to incorporate the bear design, which is the bear crest of the Hunt family.”

The pole will be able to stand outdoors for about five more years, then will have to be moved to an indoor location to ensure it is preserved.

The location has yet to be chosen.

jwbell@timescolonist.com