Ólhet (Respect) I

The totem pole that stands before the museum is a gift to the people of the city of Hamburg from the Skwahla Stó:lo Halkomelem of British Columbia in western Canada. It is a symbol of friendship and fellowship and bears the title “Ólhet”, meaning respect. On one side, anotter, which represents the hunter, and a salmon, symbolizing life, are depicted. They are united in a hybrid creature that stands for the balance between the two. The family on the other side of the totem pole represents the origins and the preservation of the culture of the Halkomelem, as well as the healing of the wounds of the past. A totem pole of this kind had not been produced for over 150 years. It is part of a larger movement to revive the traditional culture of the Halkomelem, whose stories served as inspiration to the artist, David Seven Deers. For three years, he worked on the totem pole in the interior court of the museum, completing it in 1997.