Vancouver part 3

And so back to Vancouver for a few more days.

I began with a visit to the wonderful museum of Anthropology at the university of British Columbia. Hard to read about the suppression of the indigenous culture. They cite 4 major forces fighting against them: European disease (Smallpox quickly wiped out 95% of the population of Haida Gwai - aka the Queen Charlotte Islands), then the seizing of their tribal lands, the forced schooling of children far from their homes and finally the banning of traditional gatherings like the potlatch. The latter lasted until the 1950s. Seeing that their culture was dying many agreed to sell carved poles and other artefacts to museums in the hope that at least there something could be preserved for future generations. Indeed many contemporary artists come to learn and take inspiration from their ancestors.

A wise metaphor

Bentwood box

Cedar trees are incredibly useful and versatile. Canoes and house frames were carved from them and also these bentwood boxes. A plank is carefully scored then heated and bent into a box shape.

House poles. Sometimes seen outside the front door but here the crossbeam was used to support a ridge beam of 18 metres.

Raven and the first men by Bill Reid

Vancouver born Bill Reid went home to Haida Gwai and learnt to carve. This sculpture represents raven discovering men inside a clam shell.

Later I went to the Bill Reid gallery and learnt more about him. A real trailblazer and inspiration for First Nations artists. Public organisations acknowledge the indigenous peoples on whose lands they operate: on the whale watching tour, in theVancouver Film Festival Cinema and on museum tours. A small step perhaps.

Chief of the Undersea World by Bill Reid

Poem

Modern raven mask & bentwood chest - techniques had to be relearnt by studying the ones in the museum

And of course had to try some more ice cream! This was honey lavender and chocolate cherry. Another was burnt strawberry with raspberry Earl Grey.

I took a bus up to the mountain resort of Whistler for the day to meet Kiran, another cousin, this time on my mother's side. He took me out for a couple of short hikes. These were a bit easier than my walk up the Grouse Grind - 800m of ascent on steps up Grouse Mountain. Was worth it to see the grizzlies at the top:

One of two bears that were rescued and now kept in an enclosure.

Sorley by the Cheakamus River

One of several rail road cars that left the track in the 1950s when a train took a corner too fast and were left in the woods. The trees must have grown up around them since then.

Sorley at Rainbow Falls

Howe Sound from the bus back from Whistler to Vancouver

Not having seen enough whales I used some more of my voucher from the Sandness parents to take a zodiac trip out into the Georgia Strait. I must say the guide was excellent and I learnt a lot more about humpbacks. Hard to believe they were hunted to extinction here in a couple of years in the 1950s. In about 2015 a single female appeared, then returned with a calf and some other adults. Now there are 100s of them.

Downtown Vancouver with water taxi

I took one of these taxis early on Saturday morning to my boat trip and was the only passenger. The operator was a guy originally from Edinburgh. When I returned in the afternoon the place was mobbed with long queues. Public transport is good here though. Less than £2 anywhere in the city. Lots of buses. The passengers shout a cheery 'thank you' when they get off at the back. 

Not seen these before - somewhere safe to leave your dog when you go shopping!

I've mentioned the nice residential neighbourhoods before. I was surprised to find that a lot of the streets are not lit or only by one light per block. I had been assured Vancouver is a very safe place which it certainly felt like. Despite the occasional stumble it was quite nice walking in the dark past all the lit up homes.

Mural

Another thing I noticed was that at building sites all the trees on the street immediately in front had temporary fencing to protect them. Also a lot of smaller building projects used wooden scaffolding. Poles and planks nailed together.

China Town gateway

Bear video