Last week sculptor Ray Boudreau told a
Times Colonist that “it’s absolutely 110% my carving” and supporting his claim he provided photos of a sculpture he executed in 2017 which the
Times Colonist writer called “a strikingly similar sculpture.” Boudreau said he used a simple hammer and chisel to shape the distinctive face before the stone vanished from the beach. What happened next is the controversial bit.
After Boudreau’s comments became public, according
The Guardian , “the museum quietly deleted the blogpost and any other references to the discovery.” This “apparently” sly act sparked a fierce debate over the museum’s methods of identifying the initial findings. Now, their entire approach to such discoveries is being brought into question.
Authenticity of stone carving at Royal B.C. Museum questioned
A carved stone pillar is shown on the beach in Victoria in this July 2020 handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Royal BC Museum, Bernhard Spalteholz February 02, 2021 - 1:00 AM
VICTORIA - The chief of a First Nation says he has the assurance of the Royal B.C. Museum that steps will be taken to determine how a carved stone pillar was deemed an Indigenous artifact perhaps dating back to the 1800s before a local man claimed it as his creation.
Ron Sam, chief of the Songhees First Nation, said in an interview he spoke with museum CEO Jack Lohman about the pillar that was found covered in algae last July along a beach below Beacon Hill Park in Victoria.
The origin of a carved sandstone pillar discovered on a Dallas Road beach last summer is being questioned after a local artist insisted he carved the sandstone rock in 2017. Ray Boudreau posted . . .
After examining the stone, consulting with local communities and looking at anthropological records, archeology curator Grant Keddie came to the conclusion the artifact could be a ritual stone pillar, likely related to events such as the first salmon ceremony, used in puberty rites or related to ceremonies involving the feeding of the dead.
The museum said it will work with the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations to determine the most suitable home temporary or permanent for the find.
The artifact is a large slab of sandstone, a type of rock not found in this area, and does not appear to have been carved with steel tools, according to Keddie. He said special rocks were used by the Lekwungen people to influence the weather and ensure safety in venturing out in pursuit of food or to create unsafe conditions for one’s enemy.