“Every time, there’s not enough chips,” said Wayne Price, master carver of the Healing Totem Project at the opening ceremonies of Whitehorse’s first National Indigenous Day as a statutory holiday.

The crowd gathered around the totem pole that Price and a group of about 20 carvers created in 2013. Price said each chip represents one person. The chips were ceremonially burned and a portion of the ashes is inside the totem pole.

Community members carried the pole seven blocks through Whitehorse to of Main Street. It serves as a reminder of hope for the future.