Old poles and new stories: Archival knowledges and oral histories of C’idimsggin’is and Kurt Seligmann is a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Funded Project. The academic side aims to generate new knowledge around the specifics of the how the Këgit pole was taken from Hagwilget in 1938 by surrealist painter Kurt Seligmann, for the Museum of Man in Paris, France, using archival research and oral histories. The Witsuwit’en community-lead cultural side is integrating the pole into current day cultural revitalization programmes.
Quick Links
The Këgit Pole
The Këgit pole is significant as the largest and oldest surviving Witsuwit’en pole, carved prior to the influx of white settlers to their lands in the late-nineteenth century. Emblazoned with the story of C’idimsggin’is, the pole represents the connection of the Likhsilyu (Small Frog Clan) to the spirit of the land.
Funding
Old Poles New Stories draws on research supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
Our Partners
