Prince Rupert, BC

We did not arrive in Prince Rupert, BC until early afternoon. That made for a short day, but it was educational. We opted for the cultural excursion (and Safeway market for cold medicine for Barbara) to the very well done history museum and First Nation’s presentation.

 

Randy observing the docking operation.

The dock was right downtown and an easy walk to the museum.

We had a nice tour of the museum and were then guided to the Long House nearby where we were given an oral description of the local First Nation’s traditions, particularly the Potlatch. The focus was on the Tsimshian people, of which there are fourteen tribes, or clans. Of interest, was learning that the early Russian settlers in this area coexisted with the indigenous people pretty well at first and there was a lucrative arrangement where the locals trapped the otters for pelts and sold them to the Russian traders. That lasted until the Russians tried to cut the locals out of the loop. They did not fair as well due to a lack of local knowledge, and eventually were driven off by the Tsimshian. There was a reconciliation of shorts, but then the western European settlers began infiltrating the Pacific Northwest. The new settlers in the area did not allow the Tsimshian and other nations to pursue their cultural heritage and did not allow the language to be taught or for the Potlatch ceremony to be held. While those restrictions were eventually eased, their original homeland had become a national park and they were not allowed to build a ceremonial long house on their original homeland. The park service has recently allowed the construction of a ceremonial long house for the purpose of holding annual Potlatch events, and this summer will be the first time these people have been allowed back to their homeland to celebrate this custom. The Tsimshian people giving this lecture were quite emotional about this opportunity.

Sorry there were no pictures.