All along the Inside Passage, especially in the larger towns such as Campbell River, Wrangell, Prince Rupert, Ketchikan, Juneau and Sitka, the native presence is acknowledged and honored in totem parks, building facades, plazas, museums and more.
The village of Alert Bay on Cormorant Island is perhaps the best example of an enduring Northwest coastal village. The evocative Namgis Kwakwaka’wakw burial ground’s mortuary poles and big house, and the U’mista Cultural Centre, are imaginatively carved or painted. U’mista houses one of the world’s finest collections of historic potlatch ceremonial masks. These dramatic masks often articulate to transform, perhaps opening and closing to mimic a bird’s beak. Some are menacing, while others display bawdy humor as they mimic throwing snot.
Ceremonies often start with mourning masks, to express sorrow for loved…
