Forgotten Past
Today we traveled by dinghy to Mamalilaculla, an abandoned Native village located on the west end of Village Island. This is the site of the last great Native Potlatch thought to have taken place around 1921. Potlatches had been banned since 1884 but continued to take place in secret. At Mamalilaculla, several band members were charged for violations and the ceremonial items confiscated -- many of these items can be seen at the Cultural Centre in Alert Bay, which we had visited earlier. The site is overgrown but we walked through the brush and found several buildings - some fallen, some still standing. We also discovered a fallen totem lying on its back by the water’s edge. Pilings still remain along the white shell beach mixed with shards of china. The buildings seemed haunting, if only they could speak. Now only bears roam the area. As I approached some large beams of a once grand Longhouse, I was startled by a noise in the bushes and turned around to see the back end of a black bear bounding off through the bushes. I don’t know who was more startled, me or the bear! It certainly was up close and personal. I took a picture of his calling card (droppings) as proof of our encounter. After leaving Mamalilaculla, we cruised through Beware Passage, spotting two other abandoned Native villages on our way to Lagoon Cove.
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| Fallen Totem |
Today we traveled by dinghy to Mamalilaculla, an abandoned Native village located on the west end of Village Island. This is the site of the last great Native Potlatch thought to have taken place around 1921. Potlatches had been banned since 1884 but continued to take place in secret. At Mamalilaculla, several band members were charged for violations and the ceremonial items confiscated -- many of these items can be seen at the Cultural Centre in Alert Bay, which we had visited earlier. The site is overgrown but we walked through the brush and found several buildings - some fallen, some still standing. We also discovered a fallen totem lying on its back by the water’s edge. Pilings still remain along the white shell beach mixed with shards of china. The buildings seemed haunting, if only they could speak. Now only bears roam the area. As I approached some large beams of a once grand Longhouse, I was startled by a noise in the bushes and turned around to see the back end of a black bear bounding off through the bushes. I don’t know who was more startled, me or the bear! It certainly was up close and personal. I took a picture of his calling card (droppings) as proof of our encounter. After leaving Mamalilaculla, we cruised through Beware Passage, spotting two other abandoned Native villages on our way to Lagoon Cove.
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