It is believed that the Snuneymuxw house posts were taken from Departure Bay in Nanaimo by the 1890s. In 1907, Mark Bate wrote in Reminiscences of Nanaimo:

"There used to be several elaborate totem poles at Departure Bay Village, deserted by the S'nenymous Indians many years earlier, and nearby Jessie Island had been used as a place for the dead."

James Madison Alden painted many scenes of Nanaimo. Alden lived from 1834 to 1922. This first painting is thought to depict the Snuneymuxw house posts as they once stood at Departure Bay. In the left corner of the painting, there are animal figures, which may be carved grave markers.

This second painting by Alden is from 1857 and provides another view of Departure Bay. The house posts can be discerned just right of centre. As well, there is a lone post beneath the large tree in the left of the painting that looks similar to the one with the man holding the bird, house post 18981.

Sxwayxwuy masks, such as the one on house post 18982, are worn by sxwayxwuy dancers, who perform this special dance to cleanse people at ceremonies such as potlatches. The sxwayxwuy dance is closely guarded by Snuneymuxw Elders and those who dance it. In fact, some people believe that sxwayxwuy masks should not be photographed and displayed in public.

Traditionally, the sxwayxwuy costume included the use of swan skin for leggings, feathers, and scallop shell rattles. One of the house posts may depict a sxwayxwuy dancer and the other a man with a bird that is possibly a Trumpeter Swan. Swans are associated with the sxwayxwuy dance.