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VANCOUVER ASIAN gangs are being
implicated as middiemen in recent
native art heists on the North Shore.

By Anna Marie D'Angelo
News Reporier

North Vancouver RCMP Const. Catherine
Galliford said members of the Red Dragons
and Big Circle Boys are believed to have
warehoused native art stolen from North
Vancouver. Police believe the art has been
shipped out of the province.

“If it was in B.C., we feel that some of it
would have turned up by now,” Galliford said
on Wednesday.

On Juiy 30, 1995, thieves took an estimat-
ed $41,000 worth of native art and artifacts
from the landmark Tomahawk Barbecue
restaurant in the 1500-block of Philip Avenue.

Said Tomahawk owner Chuck
Chamberlain, “A lot of the older carvings, they
have spirit and power. They are not going to be
happy where they are and in all likelihood they
are going to bring a lot of misfortune to who-
ever has them at this point in time.”

Chamberlain said his father began collect-
ing artwork from members ef the Squamish

Yation in 1926. The collection included war
clubs, drums and carvings.

Native art stolen in
North Vancouver
remains missing

Chamberlain believes some of the stolen
art remains in the Vancouver area.

Thieves made off with another major West
Coast native art collection from Nocth
Vancouver in November 1994.

The Lower Lonsdale office of Can-Dive
Ltd. was stripped of an estimated $157,000
worth of native artwork. Thieves also took
computer and video editing equipment. The
total value of the stolen property is more than

00,000, according to the police.

A witness reported seeing property that
may have been linked to the Can-Dive bur-
glary several hours after the midnight break-
in. The property was being unloaded from a
van in the 1000-block of Pacific Street in
Vancouver.

The witness immediately phoned a number
printed on the side of the van. But Galliford
said the police were not notified of the inci-
dent until six hours Luter.

A stolen Can-Dive camera casing was
found less than a month later. Police say it wa
recovered ut a murder scene in the 1000-block

Weather
Saturday: Periods of snow
High 2°C, low -2C.

of Pacific Br ilevard in Vancouver.

Can-Dive president Phil Nuytten was
unavailable for comment. He had been a major
collector of West Coast native art in Western
Canada until the burglary.

Squamish Nation artist Eric Baker said he
is not surprised that West Coast native art has
hit the big time as a commodity for criminals.

“It was bound to take off in one way or
another,” said Baker, 34.

The carver said he no longer displays his
works in galleries. He caters to a private clien-
tele. Baker said the masks he makes sell for up
to $3,000. A three-metre (10-ft.) totem sells
about $1,000 a foot.

Baker is currently working on a {.2 metre
(four ft.) figurine totem pole. His next project.
is a sun mask commissioned by a Vancouver
Canuck charity fundraiser.

Galliford said the stolen West Coast native
artwork is listed in an Interpol stolen art cata-
logue. She said some of the items are cata-
Iogued in a stolen art theft registry published
in New York.

ative art is popular in North America and
it is also popular overseas so there is quite a
market for it!” said Galliford.

She said the prospects of recovering much

olen native artwork are minimal.

The police investigation, which involves
more than one police jurisdiction, continues.