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Totem pole raised in honor of MMIW2S along the Highway of Tears

drumming singing and cultural dancing outside around a 10 foot totem pole.
The family of the Nisga'a/Tsimshian artist Mike Dangeli as they present the 10 foot toem pole to the community on Oct. 21. Photo by Sabrina Spencer.
Sabrina Spencer - CFNR - Terrace • BC | 23-10-2023
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The Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS) and family members in Prince Rupert raised a Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit (MMIWG2S) Totem Pole this weekend.

The pole honors and commemorates the MMIWG2S individuals who have gone missing or been murdered as part of the impacts of inter-generational trauma, and it also honours residential school survivors.

Erected alongside Highway 16, also known as the "Highway of Tears," near the Galloway Rapids, the totem pole raising was followed by a feast on Saturday. Dozens of residents braved the cold in Prince Rupert to witness the raising of the memorial totem pole.

The pole that was raised is 10 feet tall and carved by artist Mike Dangeli. It has a sister pole that was raised in Kitsumkalum, BC, in 2020.

It was the first time in decades that a totem pole was raised at a Prince Rupert location other than Charles Hays Secondary School.

Organizers said all were welcome to attend as the subject affects all Indigenous People, regardless of their gender or nation of origin.

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