A prominent sculpture on display in the city for three decades is being repatriated.
The Nibiising 26-foot white pine sculpture once stood at the corner of Seymour Street and the Highway 11/17 bypass.
It was put in storage in 2018, with officials saying cracks and fissures emerged over time, leaving it unsuitable for relocation
They say it’s returning to the land this week, in a similar way totem poles are retired.
Thursday’s repatriation at the Canadian Ecology Centre (CEC) in Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park will include an Indigenous pipe ceremony with drumming and songs.
“Nibiising will be respectfully returned to the land or Mother Earth,” says Bill Steer, General Manager and founder. “After consultation it was determined the park and CEC site, located on sacred ground that has been the site of many sweat lodges, would be an ideal location. Signage will tell about Nibiising’s journey. It will be a cultural and natural educational opportunity to understand and build upon the Calls to Action within the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation report.”
Steer adds Maurice Switzer, First Nation cultural advisor and North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre board member helped with the cultural process leading to the return to the land ceremony.
First erected in 1988, the sculpture was created by Florida artist Peter “Wolf” Toth and was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Nipissing, in consultation with Nipissing First Nation.
