Authenticity of carved stone pillar found on Victoria beach under review
The authenticity of a carved stone pillar found at low tide on a beach in Victoria last summer is now under review, according to the Royal B.C. Museum.
Local carver says he believes pillar was stolen from him in 2017
The authenticity of a carved stone pillar found at low tide on a beach in Victoria last summer is now under review, according to the Royal B.C. Museum.
Earlier in the week the museum said the 100-kilogram stone pillar had been confirmed to be an Indigenous artifact.
The museum worked with the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations and conservationists to confirm the authenticity and determine its origins.
But later in the week, the Times Colonist reported that a local carver had come forward saying he believed the pillar was in fact a piece he'd worked on in 2017, which he believed was stolen.
The Royal B.C. Museum said it is working with the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations to set up a meeting with the carver to review the origins of the pillar.