A carved sandstone pillar heralded as an Indigenous artifact by the Royal B.C. Museum last year has been returned to its owner with an apology.
On Tuesday, artist Ray Boudreau received a letter from Alicia Dubois, the museum’s chief executive officer, saying she was “relieved and pleased to see this original artwork returned rightfully to you.”
“I would like to express my gratitude for your patience as we navigated this unfamiliar territory and extend sincere apologies for the errors made during the process,” Dubois wrote. “I assure you that as a team, we have learned from this experience and are taking concrete measures to ensure similar errors are not made in future.”
The 100-kilogram oblong pillar with a carved face was discovered on a beach off Dallas Road in July 2020. After examining the stone and consulting with local First Nations, an archeological curator concluded it could be a ritual pillar used in Lekwungen salmon and puberty ceremonies.
Jack Lohman, who was chief executive officer of the museum at the time, called the pillar “a remarkable find with a remarkable story.”
A story that was about to change.
A few days later, an incredulous Boudreau saw the photo of his rock carving being heralded as an Indigenous artifact.
“It’s absolutely, 110 per cent my carving. I knew right away it was my carving,” said Boudreau, sharing photos of a strikingly similar sculpture he had worked on three years earlier.
Boudreau said he wasn’t sure what to do at first.
“Do you shut your mouth about it or let it go? The thing took on a life of its own and it would have had a beautiful life if I hadn’t said anything.”
In the end, the night security guard decided the museum and the local First Nations should know the truth. “I didn’t want to live a lie,” he said.
At the time, the museum said the provenance of the pillar would be reviewed with the museum, the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations and the carver.
This week, Boudreau said he was never consulted about the carving.
He said the first time he heard from the museum was when he received the Sept. 13 letter saying the carving would be returned.
“I’m still in shock about the whole thing,” said Boudreau, 67. “There’s nothing special about it. I only spent three days on it and it grew legs.”
Boudreau intended the carving to be an international design, a mix of Asian and African features, but it disappeared before he could finish it. He assumed the heavy rock had been stolen because he had tucked it way up on the shore.
On Tuesday, the carving was placed in the back of Boudreau’s car by a forklift. It’s now in the yard at his Gorge Road apartment while he decides what to do with it.
“I’m really confused. I feel like I’m obligated to do something with it. But I’m not 100 per cent sure. I have some ideas.
“My neighbour said: ‘Why ruin it? It’s famous the way it is.’ ”
Despite a request for more information, the museum has not explained publicly how the pillar was authenticated, what it has learned in the process and what measures it is taking to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
“I have to give them kudos that they did do their due diligence at the museum,” said Boudreau. “It took a little while and a little bit of investigation. But what it does when you’re me, you begin to cast doubt on all their stuff. Are they Barnum and Bailey or are they really authentic?”
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