You may remember the totem pole that stood for decades in the courtyard of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. Now, the museum says, it’s time to send it home.

The Fine Arts Center has taken care of the piece from Kasaan, Alaska for the past 50 years, after rescuing it from becoming wood pulp. The museum’s curator says that many times in the past, Native American tribes sold their art work under duress, and the pieces didn’t all go straight to museums for good care. This particular piece ended up in a lumber yard in Los Angeles in 1953, and that's when the Fine Arts Center acquired it for their own collection.

The totem pole is 51-feet-tall and represents the life and spirit of Chief Son-i-Hat of the Haida tribe from Kasaan, Alaska. It was carved in 1870, and for the past 50 years, it's been a staple at the Fine Arts Center.

"We actually kind of rescued the totem pole," said the museum’s curator, Tariana Navas-Nieves, in reference to the close-call at the L.A. lumber yard in the 1950s.

During a recent remodel of the Fine Arts Center, the totem pole was placed in storage, and before the piece was put back in the courtyard, Navas-Nieves did some investigating.

“Over the past five years, the Haida people have really gone through a cultural resurgence. They’re really reinvigorating the arts and culture in the community,” said Navas-Nieves. “There are not a lot of poles left in the village, and I knew it was a significant piece.”

She contacted the president of the Haida tribe to find out what their wishes would be for the totem pole, and her timing was perfect. The tribe is currently working to restore Chief Son-i-Hat’s clan hut, and the totem pole was part of that original house.

Knowing the tribe would want the pole, the museum voted and decided it should go back home.

“In this case, it’s a piece that will better serve the public about something that is disappearing,” said Navas-Nieves. “And for us to be a part of that is an honor.”

The Arts Center says it’s bittersweet for Colorado Springs to say goodbye to a beloved work of art, but that the community should be proud to be a piece of history.

The president of the Haida tribe in Kasaan, Alaska says the village extends a heartfelt thank you to the center, and the people of Colorado Springs. “Bringing this important treasure home will serve to uplift our people and also serve as a testament of our historical presence,” wrote village president Richard Peterson in a letter to the Fine Arts Center.

For Navas-Nieves, she says it’s been the highlight of her career.

It may take some time before the totem pole is returned. There is still a lot of paperwork to complete before it can be officially moved.