By the time dawn broke this morning, the Sea Bird was already docked in the charming fishing village of Alert Bay, ready for a day of cultural, as well as wildlife, exploration. Naturalist David Stephens initiated us into the mysteries of the ôglottal stopö when he instructed use in the proper pronunciation of the name of the indigenous people of this region, the Kwa-Kwa-Ka-Wakw.
Walking through Alert Bay on our way to the U’Mista Cultural Center, we saw an unfinished totem pole in the yard of a woodcarver, as well as several vintage totems outside the center itself. Made with the large the beautiful timbers of the region, the center’s museum is a treasure trove of cultural artifacts. We marveled at the fantastic masks and regalia used in the potlatch, the traditional ceremonies of gift giving. We heard the stories of how this tradition was threatened but ultimately survived the early colonial Canadian government prohibitions.
After a short walk up the hill, we entered the long house. There, under the huge log totems wreathed in smoke from the fire in the middle of the huge room, a couple of the elders and most of the village children performed a series of traditional dances. Bedecked in beautiful handmade regalia dancing to the pulse of beating drums from several village elders, they showed their mastery of this traditional artform... not surprising when you realize that some of these children have been dancing since the age of three, all under the watchful eye of the village elders.
After lunch, Captain Kalbach treated us to an unbelievable afternoon of up close and personal Orca watching. We tracked several pods including some young calves who couldn’t help but ham it up with repeated lob-tailing in the beautiful, calm and backlit waters of the Johnstone Strait. To repeated choruses of “oohs” and “aahs” from passengers, the Orcas swam alongside us for over three hours, giving us plenty of opportunities to photograph these awesome creatures knifing through the mirror surface of the calm waters. As naturalist IIiana Ortega observed, “It doesn’t get any better than this!”
