Totem: The Return of the G’psgolox Pole
In 1929, the Haisla people of British Columbia returned from a fishing trip to find their tribe’s nine-metre mortuary pole — otherwise known as the G’psgolox — missing, severed at the base. The pole’s fate was a mystery for over 60 years until it surfaced in a Stockholm museum, where members of the Haisla Nation journeyed to in order to get it back in 1991.
Mixing interviews, location photography and awesome footage of Haisla carvers, this unique documentary takes an incredible story and weaves in important commentary on the issue of cultural appropriation and art history.
Director(s):
Gil Gardinal
Writer(s):
Gil Gardinal
Producer(s):
Bonnie Thompson, Graydon McCrea, Jerry Krepakevich
Genre(s):
Documentary
Language(s):
English
Region:
Totem: The Return of the G’psgolox Pole is filmed and set in British Columbia. Gil Cardinal is from Alberta.