New Totem Pole at Emily Carr University Embodies Community Connections

News and Events

On September 28, 2023, the Aboriginal Gathering Place hosted an unveiling ceremony of the Pacific Song of the Ancestors totem pole, a breathtaking new art installation by Master Carvers Dempsey Bob, Stan Bevan, and Lyonel Grant, now part of ECU’s permanent collection.

Former Director of Aboriginal Programs and Special Advisor to the President on Indigenous Initiatives Brenda Crabtree and ECU Chancellor Carleen Thomas (not pictured) unveil the ‘Pacific Song of the Ancestors’ totem pole. (Photo by Hayf Photography)

Story by Alex Korinowsky, excerpted from ECU News.

“This whole project is about community, communication and respect for Indigenous art, education and culture,” says Brenda Crabtree, the recently retired Director of Aboriginal Programs and Special Advisor to the President on Indigenous Initiatives at Emily Carr University. “The artists will tell you this is the most sculptural pole they’ve ever created—a refined work of art. For Emily Carr University to house this masterpiece that will inspire the public and generations of students, well, it’s simply priceless.”

Led by Sir Derek Lardelli (left) and Master Carver Dempsey Bob, family and community members from northern BC and New Zealand walk toward the Reliance Theatre at Emily Carr University during the ‘Pacific Song of the Ancestors’ totem pole unveiling ceremony on Sept. 28, 2023. (Photo by Perrin Grauer).

The collaborative work by Master Carvers Dempsey Bob (Tahltan-Tlingit), Stan Bevan (Tahltan-Tlingit and Tsimshian) and Lyonel Grant (Māori and Pakeha) began nearly a decade ago and embodies the spirit of community building, Indigenous interrelationships and reverence for the diverse Indigenous cultures within B.C. and beyond.

“The AGP at Emily Carr has always focused on celebrating the diversity of our Indigenous students, faculty and staff,” says Crabtree. “We honour and respect the local Host Nations, and we acknowledge that most of our Indigenous students come from all around B.C. and other provinces. We don’t often see Tahltan-Tlingit art in Vancouver, so for me, this project is about connecting with Indigenous artists from other communities, learning about and honouring their artistic traditions, and providing an opportunity for the public to experience this diversity.”

Master Carver Dempsey Bob (centre), along with his family and community members, leads the Carver’s Dance after the unveiling of the totem pole. (Photo by Hayf Photography)
(From L): Tangimoe Clay, Bridy Lundon, Lady Rose Gould-Lardelli, Hinehimiata Lardelli, Sir Derek Lardelli, Lyonel Grant and Tamahou Temara (just out of frame) perform Māori protocols during the ‘Pacific Song of the Ancestors’ totem pole unveiling ceremony at Emily Carr University on Sept. 28, 2023. (Photo by Hayf Photography)

The 25-foot, 2,600-pound pole was primarily carved in Bevan’s studio in Terrace, B.C. with contributions from local carvers and students from the Freda Diesing School, who worked as apprentices. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Bob and Bevan intensified their focus on the pole. Crabtree surmises this newly found time to “hover” and develop the project led to the pole’s exceptional refinement and superb sculptural character.

In the summer of 2021, the pole was transported to Emily Carr University and craned up to the main floor where it lay covered at the AGP. The following summer in 2022, Bob and Bevan worked to complete the pole alongside visiting artist Lyonel Grant from New Zealand.

(From L): Master Carver Lyonel Grant, Master Carver Dempsey Bob and Master Carver Stan Bevan receive Speaker Blankets woven by Squamish Chief Janice George and her husband Buddy Joseph from Aboriginal Programs Coordinator Sydney Pickering and Aboriginal Programs Manager Kajola Morewood during the ‘Pacific Song of the Ancestors’ totem pole unveiling ceremony at Emily Carr University on Sept. 28. 2023. (Photo by Hayf Photography)

“The Māori’s culture is so similar to ours, with their weavers, carvers, dancers, singers, longhouses and canoe culture,” Dempsey Bob says in a statement about the project. “The pole, which tells the migration story of the wolves, eagles and grizzly bears, exemplifies the cultural relevance of movement, migration, exploration and our connection to our land. The movement of the figures points to this southward migration, with the eagle and wolf heads protruding downward, out of the traditional totem pole into a sculptural expression. The deeper carvings, the projected figures and the flowing hair make this work come to life.”

(From L): Master Carvers Dempsey Bob, Lyonel Grant and Stan Bevan with their ‘Pacific Song of the Ancestors’ totem pole following the unveiling ceremony at Emily Carr University on Sept. 28, 2023. (Photo by Hayf Photography)

The totem pole has been installed in the northwest corner of the ECU campus building outside the Reliance Theatre.