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The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, on loan from a private collection, MMFA, Christine Guest - Crédit photo : MMFA, Christine Guest
Residential School Totem Pole
2016
Charles Joseph
Details
Category
Sculpture
Owner(s)
Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal
Acquisition mode
Loan
Source mention
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, on loan from a private collection
Materials
acrylic paint, Red cedar
Overall size
H. 1,524; W. 762; Diam. 152.4 cm
Location
Location
Location
museum avenue
Localization
Garden; Pavillon Hornstein; Sherbrooke; North
Accessibility
At all time
Artwork description
Torn from their families and placed in residential schools run by various religious orders between 1820 and 1996, Canada’s Indigenous peoples were victims of a cultural genocide, recognized by the Government of Canada on May 29, 2015. This totem pole pays tribute to all the children – Joseph included – all too familiar with the humiliations and suffering meted out at these institutions. The totem is a token of reconciliation and commemoration. It is the symbol of the Northwest Coast Kwakiutl people, and their strong sense of identity and pride.