Stanley Park Totem Poles

A collection of First Nations totem poles at Brockton Point, one of British Columbia's most visited sights.

A totem pole is a carved and painted post made by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest to tell stories and show family history. The ten poles at Brockton Point were carved by artists from several First Nations, and they are some of the best-known landmarks in the park. Stanley Park itself covers about 405 hectares and is surrounded by the waters of Burrard Inlet and English Bay.

Where did the poles come from?

Four of the poles were first brought from Alert Bay and placed at Lumbermen's Arch in 1924, and some of them had been carved back in the late 1880s. More poles were bought in the 1920s and 1930s, coming from Haida Gwaii and Rivers Inlet.

In 1962 all the poles were moved to Brockton Point to make space for an overhead road at Lumberman's Arch.

What is happening to them today?

Because weather slowly wears wood away, many of the poles have been replaced with replicas, and the original carvings are now kept in museums to protect them.

The newest pole was raised in 2009. It was carved by a member of the Squamish Nation whose mother was born in Stanley Park. Brockton Point also has a lighthouse and a visitor centre with a gift shop.

On the globe

The model shows a row of tall carved totem poles beside the water at Stanley Park; look at the animal faces carved on them.