’ frustrated

‘mouths

12, ENTERTAINMENT, THE HERALD, Wed, Mar. 16, 1977

VILLAGE OF
THE TOTEMS

What is 173 feet (51.9
metres) tall, stands on a
grassy meadow behind a
village on a small island and
overlooks Broughton Strait
and northern Vancouver
Island beyond? :

Answer: The world’s
tallest totem pole.

It was the summer of '73
when this totem pole was
erected near Alert Bay on
the south side.of Cormorant
Island. Today, a familiar
sight on the island is the
look on
photographers’ faces as
they strive to fit the whole
totem within the camera
frame. But don’t despair.
Alert Bay has many more
fine totems. ;

You will find them along
the main street, some in the
front yards of homes and
hospital and in the old
cemetery which displays a
beautiful collection.

At this Indian cemetery —

stands a dignified memorial
to the late Mungo Martin,
renowned Indian carver
singer, story-teller and
historian of his people — the
Kwakiut] of northern
Vancouver Island and the
adjacent mainland
waterways. This totem pole
portrays the four crest
igure inherited by Mungo
from his family or obtained
by him through marriage.
Each figure has its own
story. :

The totems are main-

tained by the local Nimpkish —

band council, who also run a
marine college that teaches
fishing skills to young In-

dians at the old St. Michael’s

School building.

The first visitors to the
island were drawn by
stories of-an Indian com-
munity with the finest
heraldic tribal totem poles
anyone had ever seen,
Though many of Alert Bay’s
famous totem poles are now
in museums elsewhere, the
village has still managed ta
retain its strong cultural
charm,

Small boats still call
regularly at the crescent-
shaped island at the north
end of Johnstone Strait and
just off Vancouver Island's
northeast coast, but today
it’s modern cruise ships,

like the Princess Patricia ©

and the Spirit of London,
many enroute to Alaska,
which stir this drowsy
village.

Buses meet the cruise
ships and take the visitors to
the tallest totem and the
nearby “‘Big House’’ where
native dances are per-
formed,

Visitors can also drive, by -

taking the Island Highway
to Kelsey Bay on northern
Vancouver Island and then a
car ferry to Alert Bay,

The village’s economy is

fishing. For centuries,

salmon, halibut, cod and
shellfish fed many more
than the
predominantly mountainous
area allowed room to live.
The sea’s bounty attracted
the white man who settled

ROAM AT HOME

7A TRAVEL BRITISH COLUMBIA FEATURE

here in 1870. Fishing
remains & good reason for
some 2,000 people who live
in Alert Bay today.

The village — known as
“Yeleese” to Indians for
centuries — grew from one-
village-among-many to the
Kwakiutl nation’s centre.
The Indians would spend
their summers fishing off
neighboring islands and
then winter ‘in town’’.

‘movie theatre and many
stores. -

Then, of course, there are
the people: friendly, casual,
easy-going and proud ...
they still feel, as did the
early settlers, that they
would not trade this village
of the totems for any other
place in the world. 7

(This Roam at Home
story is part of a series
provided by Tourism British

This is stil] the practice Columbia.)
though they have long since
traded their canoes, for
seiners and gill-netters, ‘n.
which now line Alert Bay's Editar 8 Quote Book
waterfront, - ;

The village has two hotels, There is nothing more
several restaurants | frightening than c bustling
(remember “‘steak’’ on the ; ignorance. th
menu means salmon, not Goethe

. beef), a local museum, a _—

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