It is told that, in 1872, a smallpox epidemic infected the people the Haisla Nation (located in the north of what is now called British Columbia), killing the vast majority of inhabitants.

The leader of the Eagle Clan of the Haisla tribe, named Chief Gʼpsgolox, lost his whole family due to the epidemic, as well as many of his friends.

In the legend, he met with the spirits Tsooda and Zola, who told the chief to go to the edge of a mountain at dawn, where he would see his deceased loved ones and learn to heal those still living.

The Norwegian emigrant named Iver Fougner (1870—1947) who chopped down the pole was employed as an Indian agent.

The Haisla people offered to carve an identical totem replica in exchange for the original.

This led to the Swedish government granting permission for the museum to gift the totem pole to the Haisla people in 1994, with the condition that the replica be an exact match to the original.

The Haisla nation also build a historical preservation centre in the Kitimaat Village that would host the original pole.