by island hopping, day 3 Alert Bay
After a morning at Sointula, we took the ferry back to Port McNeill, then drove right back on it for the leg to Alert Bay on Cormorant Island, about 40 minutes away. These ferry trips were a joy on another beautiful sunny day.
Our plan was to visit Alert Bay’s noted numerous totem poles and its U’mista Cultural Centre. Our first stop was at the visitor centre to get both print and verbal information and directions which were excellent. But also some bad news… the U’mista Cultural Centre was closed on Mondays! I felt very sorry that I had not rechecked the website concerning the fall and winter schedule change. We were also told that there had recently been a fire in one part of the museum so that part was closed for restoration work.
Still, we saw a lot in our afternoon there and took so many photos that I will have to show them over more than one post. Today’s focus is on the the island’s largest grouping of totem poles on the Namgis Burial Ground. Being sacred ground, viewers were requested to view these from the road, not a problem though I am grateful my husband captured some closer shots with his newer and more powerful camera.
We were given brochures which are very helpful in learning more about totem poles in general and Alert Bay’s in particular. One is available also as a PDF. I recommend the page “what is a totem pole?” Are these not amazing works of art and spirit?!
November 1, 2013 in Anthropology, Canada and BC, Culture, History, Travel by Marja-Leena
They are very impressive. Among the many interesting facts about the totem poles in that burial ground is that they’re allowed to weather and decompose without efforts being made to save or repaint them. Of course, that seems to be true of old stone monuments too of which there are many around here that remain standing but are completely illegible.
Susan, yes, that is interesting, isn’t it? Did you read that in the PDF document? What comes from the earth returns to it. They believe that nothing lasts forever, and not just the poles in the burial grounds but other areas as well.