The artifact stolen by John Barrymore from an unoccupied village in Alaska has been handed back to the tribe members.
- Oct 24, 2015
AceShowbiz - A totem pole stolen by golden-age Hollywood actor, John Barrymore, more than 80 years ago has been returned to Alaska. John who is also the grandfather of Drew Barrymore spotted it in an unoccupied village when he was traveling along the Alaska coast by yacht in 1931.
According to reports, John ordered his crew members to bring the ancient artifact on board. The pole was 40-foot tall and they had to saw it into three pieces before bringing it onto the boat. It was then displayed in the garden of his California estate and remained there until his death in 1942.
The totem was later bought by another famous actor, Vincent Price who was known for his horror movies like "House of Wax". He and his wife also used it as a decoration in their own garden before the couple donated it to the Honolulu Museum of Art in 1981.
According to The Associated Press, only the top section of the pole was displayed briefly in the museum. The artifact was kept in a climate-controlled basement during most of its years there. It was given back to Alaskan tribal members during a ceremony on Thursday.
According to a research by University of Alaska Anchorage professor Steve Langdon, the totem was used for burials by Tlingit people and once contained human remains. The body was supposedly removed from the pole before John put it in his garden.
The totem was among more than 100 poles that once stood in the old village of Tuxecan on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, which was inhabited by the tribe. Now only two totems remain, both in Klawock, a village of 800 people where the tribe relocated.
