Haida Nation Raises Totem Pole in Reconciliation Ceremony

When songs and drumming echoed across Skidegate Inlet on May 1, hundreds gathered to watch something beautiful unfold in Haida Gwaii. A newly carved totem pole was about to find its home.

Haida artist Ḵuuya Micheal Moody spent months carving the Gina 'Láa SG̲un, or Good Fortune Pole, from cedar. The two-figure design shows WaasG̲uu the Sea Wolf carrying a deep-sea frog, a creature that in Haida tradition brings luck, wealth and prosperity to anyone who sees it.

The ceremony began outside with a food burning, a traditional offering to ancestors. Inside the Northern Savings Credit Union branch in Daajing Giids, Haida matriarchs blessed the carving with smudging and cedar brushing while dancers in woven regalia moved through Spirit Square.

When the blessing finished, several men helped Ḵuuya lift the pole upright. The room fell silent as it rose, then erupted in applause as fresh cedar branches were placed at its base.

Ḵuuya then performed a carver's dance, raising his tools toward the pole with loud calls and movements that symbolize breathing life into the work. It was a moment of celebration for the ongoing preservation of Haida culture.

The Ripple Effect

Northern Savings Credit Union commissioned the carving as part of its commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action. Those recommendations ask businesses to build respectful relationships with Indigenous people through education, equitable opportunities and cultural recognition.

The Council of the Haida Nation and Hereditary Chiefs Council guided the project alongside local cultural organizations. Stefan Delloch, the credit union's CEO, told the crowd that raising a totem pole gives them the chance to show respect to Haida land, culture, language and history.

Haida Elder Jenny Cross honored both Ḵuuya and the cedar tree itself during speeches that followed in Spirit Square. "Cedar is life," she said, noting it provided transportation, shelter, clothing and art for her people.

Xyallaga Daaguuyah from the Council of the Haida Nation called the pole's commissioning a small act of reconciliation that carries larger meaning. "Everyone's always asking what reconciliation is," he reflected. "I think it's just a small act of kindness that's going to lead to larger feats."

The ceremony ended with dancing, food and gifts shared with witnesses, a traditional way of honoring those who came to remember this moment.

Now the Good Fortune Pole stands as both artwork and symbol, reminding everyone who enters that reconciliation grows from acts of respect, one carved figure at a time.