SOUTH WHIDBEY RECORD: Council to mull ethics of faux poles

Kira Erickson reports on the agenda for next Tuesday’s Langley City Council meeting.

On Tuesday, members of Langley City Council will discuss the removal of a pair of imitation totem poles from Seawall Park over concerns that they represent inappropriate cultural appropriation.

They Said It

As [Langley City Councilmember Craig] Cyr pointed out in his memo, a white carver made the Langley totem poles at a time when it was illegal for members of the Snohomish Tribe to do so. The American Indian Religious Freedom Act was passed three years later in 1978, which restored the rights of indigenous peoples to practice their religion.

“It is important to understand that the Story Poles at Seawall Park have inadvertently harmed Langley’s relations with indigenous peoples,” Cyr wrote. “This was made clear to me in conversations with local tribal members as well as tribal leadership.”