A Little Sightseeing

A couple that is here visiting Marty and Patti from Sacramento and I took the BC Ferry over to Alert Bay on nearby Cormorant Island.  The view from the ferry was so beautiful!

Alert Bay is the name of the fishing village - back in time,for sure.  We went to the U'mista Cultural Centre where there is normally a fabulous display of hand-carved wooden masks  among other treasures.  Unfortunately, someone deliberately started a fire at the end of the building where the masks are kept and they suffered smoke and water damage so we didn't get to see them.  Cormorant Island has been a traditional home of the 'Namgis First Nation from "time out of mind".  From 1870 onward, Alert Bay became the main trading and service center for nearby logging camps and First Nation communities in the North Vancouver Island region.  It is North Vancouver Island's oldest municipality and boasts a population of 1,3000.

On a sad note, There is a "Residential School" building still standing, that represents a time years ago, when the Canadian government would  forcibly seize children from their families and force them to live in this building and go to school instead of being raised by their families.  This building is one of the few still standing and is a huge debate between people who want it torn down because it represents the severe abuse caused by the government  versus those people who want it to remain standing for its historical value.  The Canadian government wanted to erase the culture of the First Nation people but now wants the buildings torn down to rid itself of the embarassment of what the people consider to be bitter scars.

 A very quaint little village and even it has it's problems. Alcohol is strongly regulated but even this small piece of history has it's problems with prescription drugs.  Hard to believe way out of the mainstream of civilization.