Totem pole to serve as symbol of healing in quake-ravaged Chinese city

An aboriginal totem pole will stand as a symbol of strength and healing in a Chinese city rising from the rubble of the 2008 earthquake.

The Chinese city of Beichuan stood in a valley surrounded by mountains. When the 2008 Sichuan earthquake hit, the town was levelled and half of its estimated 30,000 residents were killed.

The original city has remained inaccessible, with thousands of bodies entombed in the rubble, but Beichuan has been resurrected 30 kilometres away.

The new city will be the home of a five-metre totem pole delivered to Beichuan's Qiang people last week during Governor-General Michaëlle Jean's friendship visit to China.

The totem pole is a gift from first nations in Canada to the Qiang people, said Grand Chief Edward John, a hereditary chief of the Tl'azt'en Nation near Fort St. James, B.C., who was part of the Governor-General's official delegation.

"It was a gift from the heart to do two things," Mr. John said. "To honour and remember those who lost their lives in the earthquake. The other one was to let the spirits wipe the tears away of the survivors who lost families and relatives."

Carvings of an eagle and a grizzly bear adorn the five-metre totem, which was hewn out of western red cedar.

"[The images]symbolize earth and sky, the spiritual side through the eagle and the protection of the land through the bear," Mr. John said.

The totem pole, along with the Canadian delegation, received a ceremonial welcome from the Qiang people. During the ritual, the pole was wrapped in six pieces of red cloth and blessed by the Qiang elders.

The idea for a gift was inspired by a photograph of a Qiang elder holding a drum outside the ruins of his home in 2008. The photo prompted several members of the First Nations Summit, including Mr. John, to visit Beichuan.

The delegation saw incredible devastation and wanted to demonstrate support for the survivors, Mr. John said.

They decided to commission a totem pole crafted and designed by aboriginal fine-arts students at Northwest Community College in Terrace, B.C.

The pole was completed in February and was blessed by aboriginal chiefs and elders in Terrace, but Mr. John said they didn't have a way to get the carving to China until the Governor-General offered to transport it on her flight.