Haida Gwaii, Old Massett, 5/18/2019, National Geographic Sea Bird
Aboard the
National Geographic Sea Bird
Alaska
Earth without art is just eh, a truism experienced this morning in Old Massett when Master Haida carvers Christian White and Jim Hart described their art and provided tours of their studios.
Christian first explained the stories and meaning of his family pole and described how it was erected. He then stood by a large cedar log (which required 24 years of searching) in his carving shed and explained how he would proceed to create a large canoe. Jim Hart graciously invited us into his home, which also serves as a studio and, quite clearly, a first-class museum filled with a plethora of exquisite large and small carvings in wood and stone.
After the studio tours, we had lunch in Christian’s lodge house and witnessed five dances performed by our servers: The Welcome Dance, The Bird Song-Salmon Berry, Women’s Song, Men’s Song, and The Blanket Song. The challenge to participate in the women’s and men’s dances was enthusiastically accepted!
In the afternoon, several of us viewed the art of nature by driving through breathtaking old-growth forest, then hiking near Tow Hill, 134 kilometers north of Old Massett. Some made a steep speed-climb to the top and were rewarded with a breathtaking (in more ways than one) and all-too-brief view of distant Alaska to the northwest and of the long beach leading to Old Massett to the southwest. The return to Queen Charlotte City and National Geographic Sea Bird gave us the chance to quietly absorb the art of the Haida and nature before heading for Alaska and new adventures.
It was Malle and Cousteau’s The Silent World , viewed in a dusty meeting hall on a wintry day in central Wisconsin that forged Jim’s dream and commitment to become a marine biologist. Never mind that he was only 8 at the time and that it would be a...
Enter travel details to receive reports from a single expedition
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Send Daily Expedition Reports to friends and family
*By clicking the submit button, I authorize Lindblad Expeditions to email me; however, I am able to unsubscribe at any time. For more details, see our Privacy Policy.
Please note: All Daily Expedition Reports (DERs) are posted Monday-Friday,
during normal business hours. DERs are written onboard the ship only and do
not apply to land-based portions of expeditions.
After a comfortable evening sail through Johnstone Strait, we arrived in Tenedos Bay within the Desolation Sound Marine Park just prior to sunrise. The morning views were spectacular with wispy bands of mist on the tree-covered mountains, clear skies, and a hint of orange in the sky reflecting off the glassy waters as the sun rose. Many guests enjoyed the early morning views from all decks as oystercatchers and belted kingfishers sounded off with the rising sun. Conditions couldn’t have been more perfect for kayaking and standup paddleboarding in the morning. The calm waters made for a beautifully peaceful yet aerobic paddle as we explored around a small island within Tenedos Bay. Amongst the red cedars and the Douglas firs, the sunlight highlighted the red bark of the Pacific madrones, locally known here as arbutus trees. These trees are becoming much more prevalent as we journey southward on this, “Remarkable Journey: Alaska, British Columbia, and Haida Gwaii. Prior to lunch, the fun continued for both participants and spectators alike during our Polar Plunge! The plunge wear was varied and included a pink Power Ranger suit and a Gumby suit worn by Second Mate Jenna. It was so much fun with laughter and smiles all around, and it made for some fun lunchtime conversations. For the afternoon, we opted to remain anchored at this beautiful place and took scenic Zodiac cruises to explore the area more. Harbor seals, kingfishers, and many oysters were among the nature we spotted. Today was a fantastic final full day on board National Geographic Sea Bird . Experiences and memories that will last have been made during our voyage. Tomorrow morning, we disembark in Vancouver.
Just before the light of day, National Geographic Sea Bird made her way towards Government Dock in Alert Bay on Cormorant Island in British Columbia. Our floating home cruised all night, making her way across Queen Charlotte Sound before finally entering Johnstone Strait at its northernmost end. Cormorant Island is located just south of this location and was our destination. Alert Bay is home to the Namgis band of the Kwakwaka’wakw Nation. After docking, we made our way to the U’mista Cultural Center to get acquainted with another of the many Indigenous Nations that make up the northwest coast of North America. We were greeted by several of the people who manage the Cultural Center, and we eventually divided into two groups. One group made its way to the Potlatch Collection, while the other half enjoyed a film from Namgis filmmaker Barbara Cranmer in the upper half of the cultural center. The center was established in 1980 and houses a very important collection of potlatch regalia that was stolen from the Kwakwaka’wakw Nation in 1921 by the Canadian government, which had outlawed potlatches. The potlatch was held on Village Island. The people of Alert Bay petitioned the Canadian government for the return of their stolen regalia and were told, “If you build a museum, we will return your regalia.” The museum was built, and repatriation began. The Namgis people of Alert Bay were among the first to create an interpretive center/museum to tell the story of their treasures from their point of view! Alert Bay became a vocal community from that time forward. Many other Indigenous nations along the northwest coast followed suit by creating interpretive centers to house their own treasures and preserve the Living Cultures of the Northwest Coast peoples for future generations. We arrived in Alert Bay on an unusual day, as there was a community wide power outage from 10 am to 4 pm. This required the U’mista Cultural Center and our natural history staff to design a day of operations without power. At 10 am sharp, the electricity in Alert Bay shut down. Just before then, Bruce Alfred arrived on site and conducted a tour through the Potlatch Collection in the lower end of the Cultural Center. The lights went out, and Bruce kept talking! The staff came down to the collection area and let us know that it was time to exit the Cultural Center. Outside, Bruce gathered us all for an in-depth discussion on carving and the creation of bentwood boxes. He is considered a world expert in this fine art form. With a wicked sense of humor and through a very detailed discussion, Bruce explained the complexity of constructing bentwood construction. A very intricate form of box construction that is more than 5,000 years in age, this style of box continues today with “new” tools introduced by non-natives. As we listened from under the protection of a tent, we watched the fall weather slowly making its way down channel, headed for Alert Bay. Our group made its way back to the ship for lunch. We made a brief stop at the ancestral burial grounds of the Namgis people. We were met by another community member, Brendon, who walked us through the many totem poles and detailed their history and importance. After lunch and hosting several community members on board National Geographic Sea Bird , we gathered once again for a short journey to “Gator Gardens.” This marshy area was renamed Alert Bay’s Ecological Park in 1998. The water is part of a backed up, swampy area that is made by a dam created in 1870 to bring fresh water to several canneries along the waterfront of Alert Bay. Those canneries operated until 1941. It took five years for the top of the hill to flood, eventually killing the trees and creating a bog-like environment that exists to this day with old growth western red cedar trees standing like giant sculptures. The weather finally hit Alert Bay, and rain came down in torrents as we made our way through the forest. We were sheltered from much of the rain under western hemlocks, some of which were old growth trees and mammoth in size! Eventually, we made our way back downhill to the ship. Once everyone was on board, National Geographic Sea Bird made her way south to Blackfish Sound. This area of moving sea currents is home to many marine mammals and seabirds. We made our way through a grey and rainy day with shades of dark green as we watched humpback whales. Seabirds made their living on the rich resources of the ocean water that make up Blackfish Sound and Johnstone Strait. Today was another amazing day exploring the many regions that make up the Inside Passage and the waters inhabited by Indigenous peoples for many thousands of years.
What a day. We woke up to some of the most scenic cruising we’ve experienced so far. North Vancouver Island is a stunning region of British Columbia. Today, the Sunshine Coast lived up to its name with glorious weather. Guests soaked in the sun and lounged on the sundeck as if we were in tropical waters. In the afternoon, we jumped right into Zodiac cruises. Many boats saw harbor seals hauled out on rocks, sunbathing just like us. The clear waters made it easy to see numerous starfish and oyster beds below. After Zodiac cruising, we made it to land to hike along the trail to Unwin Lake. It is our final night, and we ended the evening by watching the guest slideshow and reminding ourselves of all the memories we made. Safe travels to all.
