Police have recovered a valuable piece of First Nations art that was stolen from the University of Victoria last week.
On June 13 Oak Bay police responded to the UVic campus for a report of a break-and-enter to the Fraser building.
A vending machine and a few lockers had been broken into inside the building and a piece of First Nations art was stolen.
On Friday, Victoria police responded to a report of stolen property found in the 1300-block of Government St.
Police were told that an unknown person, believed to be a man, dressed all in black approached the store and tossed a large object, wrapped in blankets at the door. The store employee retrieved the item and realized it was the stolen carving.
"It’s superb news," the dean of UVic's faculty of law Jeremy Webber said. "That piece has for the last 20 years communicated how important the engagement with the local First Nations and with Indigenous legal traditions is to our faculty."
According to police, it's not known if the piece is badly damaged, but it appears to be in good condition. It's in the process of being returned to the university.
"We very much hope that it’s in perfect condition, that it hasn’t been harmed. For us what’s important is the role that it plays in the faculty," Webber told CTV News.
The Sul-Sultan piece is carved cedar with inlaid abalone, depicting a cedar spindle whorl with central human figure flanked by two wolf figures and a frog at lower centre area. The whorl sits in a painted carved stand and the overall value is estimated at $10,000.
The stolen art piece was created by Tsartlip Coast Salish artist Charles W. Elliott in 1995-96. It’s currently owned by the Faculty of Law.
Webber said it will return to the spot it was in before it was stolen, but the faculty will look at the security measures.
"We will be looking at the security measures surrounding it, but it’s just wonderful that whoever took it realized that it means much, much more than just the turning over of a dollar, that it really is important," he said.
