photography – Page 204

Alert Bay III: Origin of the ‘Namgis

Long ago when the world was young, after the great flood, a giant halibut (so big you could stand on it) lived at Xwalkw (the mouth of the Nimpkish River). One day he swam ashore and transformed himself into a human. He built a house and made huge beams to be placed on top of the vertical poles, but he was unable to lift them into place. As he worried about his problem he heard a noise and turned around to see a Thunderbird alight on a huge rock.

This supernatural bird offered assistance and grasping a beam in its talons, flew into the sky and put the beam in position. Then he descended and removed the Thunderbird mask and costume and ordered them into the sky saying “You shall never flap your great wings to cause thunder, nor flash your great eyes to cause lightning, only when death comes upon a prince or princess of my descendants.”

He then announced that he would be the brother of the first man and began to build a house for himself. This is why the ‘Namgis have the right to display the Thunderbird and the Halibut as their crests.

Thunderbird

Halibut

Alert Bay II: Totem and Memorial Posts

One of the attractions of visiting Alert Bay on Cormorant Island is to go out on the water to look for pods of Orcinus orca (killer whales) that are regular visitors in the waters around Alert Bay from June to October. The other is that Alert Bay is a rare and remarkable aboriginal cultural destination, steeped in history, natural beauty and living tradition. The ‘Namgis peoples, a First Nations band within the larger Kwakwaka’wakw nation of northern Vancouver Island live here on a slice of territorial lands traditionally known as ‘Yalis. It is a very interesting island to visit and well worth the long trip up the mainland to reach it.

A visit to the impressive U’mista Cultural Centre is a ‘must-do’ as well as seeing the world’s largest totem pole and a roadside First Nations’ graveyard filled with totem and memorial poles.

The burial ground in Alert Bay contains memorial totem poles marking the graves of members of the Kwakwaka’wakw. Figures on the poles depict family crests. The one at the top signifies the most important family symbol. The figures represented on the totem poles are those from mythology who became, or were encountered by, ancestors of the group who later took them as their crests. The Kwakwaka’wakw families claim the Thunderbird as a crest. He descended from the sky and became human. The raising of a totem pole was usually accompanied by a potlatch.

Figures featured on the poles include the eagle, raven, frog, killer whale (orca), grizzly bear, thunderbird, beaver, dogfish, salmon, wolf and Dzunukwa, a fearsome giantess of the dark forest. She is always painted in black with half-closed eyes and pursed lips.

Alert Bay I: Arrival

After a fun afternoon exploring Telegraph Cove we headed back to the 19 and on towards Port McNeil where we got the 40 minute ferry ride across to Alert Bay. It is an important fishing community and has been the traditional home to the ‘Namgis First Nation for thousands of years. It was named by Captain G H Richards of the Royal Navy in 1860 after HMS Alert, a screw corvette serving on the Pacific station at the time. We stayed in a small cabin right on the water’s edge with stunning sunset views back towards the mainland, and a deck where we could watch the fishing boats and whale watching boats coming in and spot herons and cormorants.

We had booked a whale trip for the Monday, but meanwhile had the whole island to explore. The weather wasn’t all that great – lots of fog and mist – but there was still a lot to see and do. Even spending a couple of hours photographing the beach for flotsam and jetsam was huge fun. We had great baked oysters with spinach and parmesan for dinner on Saturday although finding somewhere to dine on the Sunday was rather more challenging. The boat trip was brilliant even though it was so foggy that we could barely make out the pod of orcas we were following plus they were so quick leaping out of the water that most of our photos showed absolutely nothing at worst and the tip of a fin at best! But listening to them communicating with each other was the best.

Welcome

Victoria IV: Arts and Crafts

Cutting back through the park we arrived at Fairfield and Cook Street Village. Fairfield is a picturesque neighbourhood with tree-lined streets and you can take a self-guided walking tour which describes some of the buildings of interest along the route. Housing styles typical to the area are Edwardian Vernacular Arts & Crafts (1904 – 1914) British Arts & Crafts (1905 – 1930), Foursquare (1900 – 1920) and Californian Bungalow (1900 – 1929). Needless to say this occupied a good deal of our day, though we found time to browse in a couple of second-hand book stores (always a dangerous pastime) and have a bowl of soup in a cute retro American Diner complete with pictures of Betty Boop. Continue reading Victoria IV: Arts and Crafts

Victoria III: Beacon Hill

Victoria has a selection of self-guided walks around the city, available from the Tourist Information Office on the Waterfront, they are a good way to explore the city at your own pace.

After our hour or so of culture we needed some exercise so made our way via Thunderbird Park and the totem poles through to Beacon Hill Park, spotting a great blue heron at the top of a tree near the lake and several peacocks –we couldn’t persuade a single one to open its tail, but managed to get pretty close – before arriving at the lookout where you have wonderful views (on a clear day) across the Juan de Fuca Straits.

We shared a bench with an elderly gentleman – yes, even older than us – who proceeded to entertain us with stories of the area and of the people who once lived here such as the fact that the seemingly random rocks on the hill were in fact burial markers and it wasn’t until a load of them had been moved that this fact came to light – too late then to put them back where they belonged.

Aboriginal burial cairns were often located on prominent hillsides and above defensive sites. Beacon Hill fits that pattern. Finlayson Point, directly below the hill, was the location of a small native village and defensive site. The presence of human graves on Beacon Hill and evidence found at the Point–including house remains, a defensive trench and midden contents indicates the village was “a more permanent settlement rather than a short-term camp.” “People lived in a village on Finlayson Point beginning about 800 or 900 years before the founding of Fort Victoria.” (Grant Keddie, Curator of Archaeology at the Royal B. C. Museum)

I love it when we meet people like him who have so many tales to tell, it’s a shame it happens less frequently when you travel as a couple.