Pts’aan / Crest Poles
Pts’aan are spiritual beings, also known as totem poles. Each Pts’aan is a list of Ayukws (crests), which are visual representations of Adaawaḵ (traditional oral histories), and Pdeek (tribes), such as G̱anada (Raven), Lax̱gibuu (Wolf), Gisḵ ̓aast (Killerwhale) and Lax̱sgiik (Eagle). We raise Pts’aan to proclaim the history of our families and property.
Traditionally, when a Sim’oogit (Chief) raised a Pts’aan, he hosted a feast and told his Adaawaḵ. Raising a Pts’aan has long been a sign of wealth and honour. Pts’aan serve various functions and purposes. For example, some poles were raised on a family Ang̱o’oskw (resource holdings), while mortuary poles commemorate the life of a deceased Sim’oogit or high-ranking community member.
When the missionaries arrived, they mistook Pts’aan as statues of pagan gods worshipped by the Nisg̱a’a. This same ignorance of Nisg̱a’a ways led to misunderstandings about the purpose and use of many Nisg̱a’a cultural items, including regalia: amhalayt (headdress), haseex̱ (rattle), and amiilukw (mask). The outsiders decreed that all Pts’aan should be taken down. Many were burned; others were stolen, sold, and shipped to museums around the world. Some Nisg̱a’a cut up Pts’aan and used them as support posts for new houses to prevent their theft or destruction.
We are carving and raising Pts’aan once again. Today, Nisg̱a’a Pts’aan serve as a tangible link to our past, a testament to our endurance, and a monument to the resilience of our culture.
In keeping with tradition, after the sponsor of a modern Pts’aan properly thanks the carver, the community raises the pole and celebrates with a feast and gifts given to the master carver and his assistants. The pole raising and feast become the centre of attention for the entire community. The Pts’aan themselves live on as a source of pride for Nisg̱a’a—and admiration of people the world over.