A blessing ceremony celebrated the renewal of a totem pole erected in Queen’s Park as part of Canada’s Centennial.
The July 12 blessing took place in front of Centennial Lodge, where the Centennial Totem Pole stands. It was originally carved in 1967 by Kwakwaka’wakw artists, Lloyd Wadhams Sr. and Bob Whonnock.
In 2023, Lloyd Wadhams Jr. undertook a restoration of his late father’s work. He spent months restoring the totem pole, which has since been returned to its home in front of Centennial Lodge.
At Friday’s blessing ceremony, Wadhams thanked attendees for attending the event and supporting him and his family in the blessing of the totem pole.
“I loved doing this. This was a very good experience for me,” he said. “It brought back a lot of memories; some good, some bad. But it made me happy; it made me happy to do this project. I appreciate that people enjoy this.”
Wadhams used his knowledge and expertise to restore the totem pole. That included carving new ears for the bear, which had gone missing through the years.
According to the City of New Westminster’s website, the Columbian newspaper enlisted the help of its readers in 1967 to commission the carving of totem poles for four Lower Mainland municipalities: New West, Coquitlam, Surrey, and Burnaby. Lloyd Wadhams Sr. was the head carver for the New Westminster and Burnaby totem poles; Bob Whonnock assisted Wadhams Sr. on the New Westminster pole.
New Westminster's pole features three figures: a thunderbird at the top, an orca at the centre and a bear at the bottom.
“In 2023, New Westminster's 24-foot pole was still stable but in need of repairs and resurfacing,” said the city’s website. “Its weathered appearance was impacting the meaning of and appreciation for the totem pole.”
The city, with guidance from the artist's niece, Cheryl Wadhams, found an artist to perform the restoration work and honour the cultural and artistic integrity of the original pole.
“Over the course of four-and-a-half months, Lloyd Wadhams Jr. performed painstaking work to repair and restore his late father's pole to its original glory,” said the city’s website. “On Nov. 10, 2023, the restored totem pole was re-installed at the Centennial Lodge.”
Photographs and more details about the project are available on the city’s website.
