Sechelt Elementary Totem Pole

The lead carver and designer was local artist/educator Bradley Hunt. At the time of the carving, Hunt was a well-respected teacher at the school. Assisting with the carving were Hunt’s students and local shíshálh Nation carvers.

Lead carver, Bradley Hunt, is a Heiltsuk First Nations artist from Bella Bella who began carving at a young age. He attended the Vancouver School of Art (now Emily Carr University of Art Design) before completing a Bed at the University of British Columbia in 1973. Settling on the Sunshine with his family in 1978, Hunt spent 11 years teaching at the Sechelt Elementary School level before becoming a full-time artist in 1985. The Sechelt Elementary School was closed in 2010, and this building is now used for a variety of programs including the Sechelt Youth Centre, l’école du Pacifique, and the Sechelt Learning Centre.

The finished pole was erected at a dedication ceremony in 1985. The two main figures on the pole are an eagle and a human. The eagle was the crest of Sechelt Elementary School at the time. The human figure below the eagle represents a teacher. In the body of the human is a smaller human figure representing a child or student. On the body of the child is a copper, which represents wealth – in this case, knowledge.