A First Nation chief says the Royal B.C. Museum’s alleged failure to return his great-grandfather’s totem pole has been hurtful to members of his community, more than two years after the museum had promised to let go of the artifact.
Hereditary Chief Snuxyaltwa (Deric Snow) of Nuxalk First Nation, located near Bella Coola on B.C.’s Central Coast, says he filed a lawsuit in January against the Victoria-based museum for not returning the totem pole carved by the late Louie Snow, the former owner of the Snuxyaltwa title, after the nation’s leaders visited the museum in October 2019 to ask for its return.
“It’s a beautiful