(upbeat music) - I'm Jay Martin Jr. in the Crosscut KCTS9 Newsroom.

Two Pike Place totem poles are soon to be removed, but maybe not for good.

The two culturally misleading totem poles near Pike Place Market will be removed by early March as part of a broader renovation project at Victor Steinberg Park, but the poles could be reinstalled after that work is completed, despite an effort from Seattle City Council President, Debora Juarez, and others to have them removed permanently.

The proposed renovations helped start a conversation about the appropriateness of having the poles there as the first people of what is now Seattle did not carve totem poles.

Indigenous leaders have pushed to remove the poles, arguing that they do not accurately represent the region's native culture.

But both the Pike Place Market Historical Commission and friends of the Market have said keeping the poles helps maintain the history of these public spaces.

I'm Jay Martin Jr. Find nonprofit Northwest news every day on crosscut.com.