Imich Siiyem – Welcome Good People

Artist - Susan Point

The University of British Columbia sits on unceded land which the First Nations Musqueam people have lived on for more than 10,000 years. As you approach the Museum of Anthropology, you are greeted by a tall totem pole that was carved by a Musquem artist named Susan Point. She made this totem pole to acknowledge the long history of her people on this land.The face at the bottom of the totem pole is meant to welcome people from all around the world. The face is a grey circle about 70 centimeters in diameter and is set in a red background. The features of the face are birdlike. Like the paint on the rest of the totem pole, the predominant colours are red and black.The main part of the totem pole is a naked male holding a small black animal called a fisher. On the man’s head is a large black hat with a U-shaped crown. The U-shaped crown is typical of top of the support posts inside houses that hold up the roof beams. The body of the man is unpainted and has aged a lovely greyish-brown colour.There is a large white circle on the front of the man’s hat. Inside the white circle, there is a small red circle, and inside the red circle is a small black center circle. There are three small black dots near the top of the white circle. These symbols represent the heavens, stars, and planets.

Roop Dosanjh and Mark Brown