On September 4, 2024, a pole known as the Kakaso’las pole, carved by celebrated Kwakwaka’wakw artist Kakaso’las—Ellen Neel, will be returning to the Museum of Anthropology at UBC. For forty years, it has stood at Stanley Park’s Brockton Point as part of the outdoor totem pole display. Its return to MOA concludes a long-term loan agreement between MOA and the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation that dates back to 1985.

The relocation of the pole back to the Museum is necessitated by its age and condition and is happening in close coordination with Kakaso’las—Ellen Neel’s family. Based on a recent assessment of the pole conducted by the MOA conservation team, the Neel family decided that the pole should return to MOA where it can be preserved into the future and continue to tell the history of Ellen Neel and her legacy. The Neel family, including Ellen Neel’s oldest daughter, Cora Beddows, and granddaughter, Lou-ann Neel, support and have advocated for this return so that the pole can begin the next chapter of its life at MOA.

Any protocols or ceremony that may need to take place for the pole’s relocation are being decided by the Neel family. Additionally, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations are being kept informed through the Vancouver Park Board’s Stanley Park Intergovernmental Working Group.

Once the Kakaso’las pole is relocated to MOA, it will be treated by the MOA conservation team for carpenter ant infestation and may undergo some restoration work as decided by the Neel family. It will then be put on display for public viewing at the Museum.

History of the Kakaso’las Pole

The Kakaso’las pole was carved by Kakaso’las—Ellen Neel in 1955. It stands six-metres tall and features prominent figures including the Thunderbird with a whale on its chest, followed by a Sea-Bear holding a killer whale, a man holding a frog, Bak’was (the Wild Man of the Woods), Dzunuk’wa (Giant of the Woods), and a Raven at the base.

It was one of five poles commissioned by the Woodward’s Department Store and was initially raised at their Westmount Mall location in Edmonton, Alberta. The pole was carved at Neel’s Ferguson Point Studio in Stanley Park, with assistance from her sons, Robert, Dave and John (Ted Jr.) Neel. In 1984, Woodward’s donated the pole to MOA, where it was restored by Robert before it was loaned to the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation and raised at Brockton Point.

Kakaso’las—Ellen Neel’s Legacy

Ka’kasolas—Ellen Neel (1916–1966) was described by The Native Voice newspaper as “Canada’s foremost authority on Indian carving.” She played a crucial role in revitalizing the traditional art of carving following its suppression during the Potlatch Ban (1885–1951), and in advocating for art-making as a viable way for Indigenous people to support their communities and strengthen their heritage. As a woman carver, she also became a mentor and role model for future women carvers.

In her youth she began apprenticing with her grandfather, Yakudłas—Charlie James (c. 1867–1938), in Alert Bay. Losing her Indian status when she married her non-Native husband, Ted Neel, she and their growing family moved to Vancouver. There, she would boldly embrace what was “modern” in terms of business, politics and art: she became known for her carving, and embarked on political and cultural ventures with civic, provincial, institutional and Indigenous leaders. Her artwork was her family’s sole source of income. Ellen Neel carved at Stanley Park through the 1950s with her children, where she established “Totem Art Studios.” Also in 1950, she was commissioned to design the province’s official “Totemland” pole to promote tourism to BC: it depicts the Indigenous First Man, a globe with BC coastline and a Thunderbird. Underlying the wide range of objects Ellen Neel made for sale was her commitment to Kwakwaka’wakw teachings and her advocacy for Indigenous rights and freedoms. 

Banner image: Poles located at Stanley Park’s Brockton Point, including the Kakaso’las pole (second from the left). Photo by Josephine Daumich, courtesy of the Vancouver Park Board.