First Nations of Haida-Gwaii (Essay Sample)

The Artistic Significance of recent poles raised by the First Nations of Haida-Gwai
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Introduction
The renowned Gwaii Haanas Legacy pole is 42 –foot and stands erect. The pole was erected as a commemoration of the Gwaii Haanas Agreement’s twentieth anniversary. The agreement was signed in the year 1993 between the Canadian government and Haida nation. The document includes a written agreement the involved parties to protect and conserve marine, cultural and natural treasures of the region as well as to put into consideration the prevailing views on the region’s ownership which are differing CITATION KIR14 \l 1033 ( KIRKBY 2014).[KIRKBY, BRUCE . 2014. "Raising a Pole on the ‘Islands of the People.’" January 2. Accessed July 26, 2014. /2014/01/05/travel/raising-a-pole-on-the-islands-of-the-people.html?_r=2.]
It is a model of the possibility of cooperation between parties with different views on sovereignty and land and title ownership. It also commemorates the agreement of South Moresby. The raising of the pole was a big ceremony where four hundred people actively participated in the event and another four hundred participated by witnessing the procession. There is immense significance attached to the rising of the pole to parties involved and more so, to the natives of the region.
Significance of the Carving
The carving of the pole is a representation of the existing connection between land, sea and the people. It tells the story of the amalgamation of the Haida nation and Canadian Government which took place in a historic ceremony where the two promised each other that they would protect Gwaii Haanas. The design of the carving also incorporates the representation of everyone who participated in the Lyell Island’s protest that took place in Athlii Gwaii. Rekindling Culture.
After the coming of the missionaries to the region, a lot of cultural practices were buried since the missionaries argued that they were pagan practices. Among this cultures is their traditional carving and raising of monumental poles. The last pole was raised in the land in about one hundred and thirty years ago. Therefore, the carving and rising of the legacy pole was a way of bringing back to life the long lost but appreciated traditions and cultures in Gwaii Haanas CITATION Par14 \l 1033 (Parks Canada 2014).[Parks Canada. 2014. "The Gwaii Haanas Legacy Pole: Carving Connections Celebrating 20 Years of Cooperative Management." April 14. Accessed July 26, 2014. /eng/pn-np/bc/gwaiihaanas/natcul/natcul5.aspx.]
The legacy pole consists of imagery and symbols that contain the meaning of events that make the park special from all the others. The marking on the pole also symbolize the happenings that led to the preservation of the park to the people and other generations to come CITATION BOU13 \l 1033 ( BOURGON 2013). Also, the pole is a symbol of the sweat and the struggles that the people who fought for the preservation of the park went through. Such a commemoration is essential as it retains the respect on which the parks is taken with even in the next generation. The struggle that led to the acceptance of the terms laid by the Haida nation is an indication that people should never give up in fighting for what is theirs no matter how long it may take. It is, therefore, a mark of unity resilience and unity of the Haida nation.[BOURGON, LYNDSIE . 2013. "Southern Haida Gwaii will see the first carved pole raised in more than a century." August 11. Accessed July 26, 2014. /news/national/haida-gwaii-will-see-the-first-carved-pole-raised-in-over-a-century/article13700197/...