Declaration of Spirit

Context

Four years after the first cut into the log, the final ceremony for a totem pole honouring Liz Elliott was held at SFU in September 2015. Elliott worked as a criminology professor at SFU, and was a founding director of the SFU Centre for Restorative Justice. Elliott’s close work and dedication to a group of aboriginal inmates at Ferndale Institution inspired them to dedicate a pole to her during the course of her battle with cancer.

The process of carving a totem pole is long and complex, and requires a number of different rituals and ceremonies. The first ceremony occurred on sacred ground at Ferndale where the pole was awakened by removing the first chip. At this time songs and rituals were performed to bring Elliotts spirit and the spirit of the pole together, and to help the carvers do their work well. The second ceremony marked the finishing of the pole, and the third its raising, which took place on Dec. 5, 2011. The fourth ceremony, the naming of the pole, took place in September of 2012 at SFU, while the fifth and final ceremony, a time to give thanks and to set her spirit free, occurred in September 11, 2015.

The Declaration of Spirit pole depicts three figures: a woman, (who represents Elliott); an eagle above her, to give strength and wisdom for her journey; and a hummingbird at the top to lead the way. The hummingbird was Elliott’s only request for the pole, and is an allusion to a favorite parable of hers. In the story, there was a great fire in the forest and all the animals, large and small, ran from it. But, out of all the animals in the forest, the only one that turned around to face the fire was the courageous hummingbird.