News of the totem pole theft at the Malahat summit has people on the lookout for First Nations carvings in suspicious places.
A man walking his dog Wednesday spotted what looked like a piece of a carved totem perched atop of a 10-metre high utility pole on the corner of Ontario and Montreal streets in James Bay.
The man called the Times Colonist to say he thought it might be a piece of a totem pole stolen from the former Malahat Mountain Inn. One eight-foot totem pole was stolen overnight Saturday, four weeks after another pole carved into the shape of a man disappeared.
The thefts prompted owner Randy Strandlund to bring three other totem poles on the property inside to prevent them from being targeted.
One Ontario Street resident said the carving deemed suspicious has been on top of the utility pole for years. B.C. Hydro removed the carving Thursday because it’s a safety hazard, said spokesman Ted Olynk.
Strandlund, who took ownership of the inn this month, said he’s not surprised people are on the lookout for the missing totem poles. Since the thefts were made public, he’s been inundated with calls and emails from people “who are upset and disgusted” by the theft.
“I’ve been getting a lot of really great responses,” Strandlund said. “It has surprised me a lot because I didn’t think it would be that big a deal to people. It’s unbelievable.”
Strandlund said the totem poles are an iconic part of the scenery as people drive up the Malahat and stop at the summit to look out over Finlayson Arm.
He estimates the totems weigh about 350 pounds each, and believes it would have taken at least two people to move them.
Based on old photos, one of the totem poles appears to date back to 1947 and another to 1935. The landmark inn at the Malahat summit has been a popular stop for tourists and commuters for decades. The Malahat Chalet dates back to at least 1947.
Eric Pelkey, an elder with the Tsawout First Nation, said he was told the carver of some of the totems on the Malahat property was his great uncle, a man named Elmer Joe, nicknamed Timber Joe because he was a well-known faller. Pelkey said Joe, who died in the 1970s, sold some of his carvings at a shop located at Mount Newton Cross Road and the Pat Bay Highway.
Members of the Malahat First Nations were devastated by the thefts. They met Thursday to discuss how to cope with the loss.
Shawnigan Lake RCMP continue to investigate the thefts.
