Totem at Sechelt Elementary School
A Tribute to Knowledge, Community, and Cultural Heritage
Shíshálh Nation
On Cowrie Street and Shorncliffe Avenue, a totem stands in front of the former Sechelt Elementary School, carved by Bradley Hunt, a Heiltsuk First Nations artist from Bella Bella.
Before deciding to pursue his art full-time, Mr. Hunt was a much-respected teacher at the school. Students carved the totem with him, along with others from the community. The pole was erected in 1985.
The two main figures on the pole are the eagle and a human. The eagle was the crest of Sechelt Elementary School at the time. The human figure below the eagle represents the teacher. Within the body of the human is a smaller human representing the child, or the children of the school. On the body of the child is a copper inlay which represents wealth—in this case, the wealth of knowledge.
Mr. Hunt also designed the logo for the Sunshine Coast School District.
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Indigenous Tourism BC acknowledges that it is situated on operates on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam Indian Band), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation).
