Theft rocks community
Artifacts and organ stolen from beloved First Nation church
The value of paintings and artifacts stolen from a beloved old church on the Lytton First Nation is, to the elders and community, “priceless.”
To the well-organized thief who must have used a truck to steal an antique organ, a bishop’s chair made by students at St. George’s Residential School and a cross, the artifacts are so distinctive they may be hard to sell. “These things are priceless to us, our community is just shocked,” said Lytton First Nation Chief Janet Webster.
She can’t believe that anyone would sell — or buy — stolen identifiable church artifacts. Webster said the ransacking must have occurred sometime after Easter.
The theft was discovered when Lytton band members went to prepare the beautiful white wooden church, used now mostly for ceremonial events, for the funeral of an elder on April 23.
Webster said the artifacts are well-documented and their provenance is known. Photos of the stolen items are being circulated to museums and galleries.
The organ was given to St. Mary’s and St. Paul’s Anglican Church in about 1877, by Gov.-gen John Campbell, a British nobleman known by the title of Marquess of Lorne. Campbell was Canada’s fourth governor-general from 1878 to 1883.
Webster said that although the Lytton community suffered greatly at St. George’s Anglican-run residential school, the church itself was revered and respected.
“The Anglican priest respects our traditional spirituality as part of the service,” said Webster, saying the church is a wellloved fixture on the reserve.
It has stood on the same spot for 140 years and never been robbed.
Anyone with any information about the theft is asked to contact the Lytton RCMP at 250-455-2225 or the Lytton First Nation at 1-888-755-2304.