The House Pole

John Spence is a Coast Salish carver from the Squamish Nation. Born on the Capilano Indian Reservation, Spence learned carving and formline at a young age. His grandfather, Siman Baker was a carver; so was his great grandfather, Chief Kwinkwoyok (Mark Spence).

March 2026 – Through the City of Vancouver, the DUDES Club Society received funding for the carving of a pole for the 1318 Frances St Clubhouse. The funding came from the Social Policy – Small Capital Funds Grant.

June 2026 – with the help of DCS team members, the carver John Spence moved a yellow cedar log into the carving shed set up at the ClubHouse. The log, harvested from Haida territory in northern BC, will be transformed into a house pole that tells the story of the DUDES, and Indigenous men and boys.

In July 2026 John began working on a house pole for the DUDES Club Society. DCS has converted the outdoor space behind the East Vancouver ClubHouse into a permanent carving shed, which will be home to the house pole and future carving projects. John will be working at that location on the pole over the next couple months.