Totem Pole, Alert Bay
This morning we stopped at Alert Bay. This town has long been home to the Namgis people of the KwaKwaKaWakw tribe. We walked to the Umista Cultural Center. This museum holds a collection of masks and ceremonial regalia confiscated after the arrest of potlatch participants in 1922. We had a tour of the potlatch masks, wandered the other parts of the museum, and browsed the fine gift shop.
Later in the morning, we climbed the hill to the town’s Bighouse. This is ceremonial nexus of the KwaKwaKaWakw world. Hundreds of potlatches have been held here, though few outsiders have seen the place. The Tsasala Dancers are a group of children learning traditional ways. The dancers performed a number of dances for us, sharing many aspects of a true potlatch.
By afternoon, we were in Johnstone Strait. This narrow waterway concentrates salmon, encouraging Killer whales to gather in the strait to feed. Sure enough, we found killer whales. These were the well-studied “A” pod. We followed the whales for quite some time, admiring the grace and the form of their motions. We enjoyed many tail-slaps and a few spy-hops.
Further down the strait we found more dolphins. They were Pacific white-sided dolphins, which are regularly found here in large numbers. The dolphins were engagingly active, bow-riding, and leaping spectacularly.
