A colorful tradition emerges from the mists of the past.
Today we visited Alert Bay. This town, near the northwestern tip of Vancouver Island, is one of the bright ceremonial centers of the Kwakwakawakw people.
Mist swaddled the morning. We walked through a dripping forest, admiring craggy trees, glossy berries, and battling birds of prey. Standing snags, nature's raw echo of totem poles, towered around us.
In Alert Bay's traditional bighouse, we sat under huge wooden beams supported by richly carved houseposts. This building, erected for ceremony, hosts many potlatches every year; visits by outsiders are extremely rare. Syncopated beats rang out from the tamidzu or beating board. Ancient songs swelled in the singers' throats. Button blankets flashed as they swirled round the dancers, and masks, illustrating a mythological menagerie, enacted magical transformation!
The morning's mist was later answered by spouts of killer whales, hanging in still, sunny air. Our visit to the wild end of Vancouver Island was rich in natural and cultural history.
