Description
Chief Mathias Joe arrived at London Airport (now Heathrow) as a representative of the Squamish Nation attending the celebrations surrounding Queen Elizabeth’s coronation. He apparently planned to watch the parade from Hyde Park and had travelled with gifts for the Royal Family: a 2 ft totem pole, carved by himself, and a picnic basket for the Queen; a walking cane for the Duke of Edinburgh; a basket for Princess Margaret; a tray for the Queen Mother; a small basket for Princess Anne; and a sweater for Prince Charles.
Bibliographic sources
“Big Chief Joe Arrives with Tom-Tom and Totem Pole,” Coventry Evening Telegraph, 1 June 1953, 1.