Brockton Point Totem Poles - Carved Stories
Photo: Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
A stop on Vancouver Cruise Day Walk, a free self-guided tour.
These tall carved poles are among the most visited sights in Stanley Park. Each one tells a story through its figures, often a family's history, rights or ancestors, carved as animals, birds and supernatural beings.
The collection began in 1924, when four poles were brought from Alert Bay and set up at Lumberman's Arch, near the site of the old Squamish village of Xwayxway. More poles came from Haida Gwaii and Rivers Inlet in the 1920s and 1930s, and in 1962 they were all moved here to Brockton Point. Many of the originals have since gone to museums for safekeeping and been replaced by new carvings or replicas.
Notice that most of these poles come from nations further up the coast, not from the local Coast Salish peoples, whose land you're standing on. Take time to walk around each pole and look at the faces from different sides.
Getting here: Continue along the seawall around the point, about 12 to 15 minutes, then follow the signs up to the totem poles on the lawn.
Did you know?: There are ten poles here today, and many of the first poles brought to the park are now preserved in museums.
Photo op: Crouch low and shoot upward so the poles stand against the sky, with the downtown towers across the water.
Nearby: Washrooms, a snack bar and a gift shop at the Brockton Point visitor area. There is also a bike-share station by the poles.
More on Wikipedia: Brockton Point · Totem pole · Alert Bay
Stops on this tour
- Canada Place - The Ship with Sails
- Olympic Cauldron - Vancouver's 2010 Flame
- Coal Harbour Seawall - Floatplanes and Yachts
- Lost Lagoon - A Lake That Was Once the Sea
- Stanley Park Seawall - A Lifetime of Stonework
- Brockton Point Totem Poles - Carved Stories
- Nine O'Clock Gun - The Cannon That Tells Time
- Waterfront Station - Where the Railway Ended
- Gastown Steam Clock - Whistles on the Hour
- Gaoler's Mews - Vancouver's First Jail
- Maple Tree Square - Where Gastown Began
- Canada Place Promenade - Back on Board