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Resting Totem

Bowen Park, Nanaimo, BC

 

The average lifespan of a totem pole is less than 100 years. To date, six totem poles in Nanaimo have been taken down due to safety concerns, including five in Bowen Park erected in 1972.

 

When totems become rotten and unstable, they are laid down during a disconnection ceremony held by First Nations members. The poles are allowed to decay and return naturally to the earth.

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Uploaded on April 9, 2016
Taken on April 8, 2016