A Totem Graveyard, And Their Replacements

Mother Nature has begun the slow process of returning the poles to the earth

Nobody knows  exactly when the First Nation tribes of the Northwest  American coastline began to carve these beautiful  poles.   They can depict many things such as clan affiliations and social rank.  They would commemorate a potlatch, be positioned at the entrance to a home, or be a memorial or grave marker among other things.

The front portion of a whale carved in the 1930s

Where was the first one constructed?  When?  We’ll never know these answers but we do know they were seen when the European explorers first visited back in the 1700s.  And it seems certain that it was done somewhere between, say, the current cities of Seattle and Anchorage, and most likely somewhere on the coastline midway between these two cities. If you have perhaps sailed the "Inside Passage" don't suppose you have seen the most authentic, historic portion of it.  There are numerous Haida, Tlingit and other tribal villages here with a much longer history.

I was fortunate enough to spend part of a day at Klawock, Alaska recently,  observing the carving of and learning more about these spectacular totem poles.   Klawock is considered the “mother village” of the Tlingit tribe (commonly pronounced “ Klinkit”). The culture of totem carving is on the rise here as many of the tribe members are striving to re-incorporate into their lives some of the values and traditions of their ancestors.  Their oral history tells them they have been here for well over 5,000 years, maybe double that time,  and some of the aspects of the lives of their ancestors certainly bear emulating!

Mid-August was a special and historic time for the Tlingits of Klawock.  In centuries past, they would migrate to Klawock  from their northern home at Tuxekan during the summer for fishing.  There were a number of totem poles at Tuxekan .  Since a pole typically has a “life” of about 80 years,  during the 1930s the government (via the civilian conservation corps) hired Tingits to recreate the Tuxekan poles and install them at what is now Totem Pole Park in Klawock.

A young carver working on a totem pole for the August pole raising

One of the newer poles at the park in Klawock

These poles have recently been replicated once more,  third generation true copies, and  mid-August the final five were raised during a potlatch.  Now the number is again  21 and the prior poles, which lay on the ground near the carving shed,  have an undecided fate.   As of July, the Tlingits at Klawock haven’t yet come to agreement as to whether to keep,  dispose or let Mother Nature have her way.  But because of the new generation of carvers, they may be going, going, gone, but they won’t be forgotten.

This was one wonderful day of a wilderness cruise in the Inside Passage which skipped the commonly visited ports in favor of uninhabited places and this lovely stop at Klawock, where we learned so much about their long and admirable heritage.

My commercial:  If you are interested in the art of the northwestern natives of the US and Canada I would love to help you plan a trip to view the art, in and out of museums, and perhaps you will discover the perfect piece for your home or yard.  Or, if you want to see the wilderness that very few outsiders visit,  give me a call.  These are places that you will never see on a large ship.

My other commercial:  Some of the finest of the cruise lines are offering special incentives for booking cruises due to sail before the end of the year,  with lower fares and/or onboard spending credits.  Need a last minute vacation?  Call me at 888-857-7379!

A Banquet of Oregon Waterfalls

Before we get to the good stuff, I am going to test your pronunciation. How do you say Oregon?   Do you call it Or-eeee-gone?   If so, you must not be from the West.   You must be from the East.  Or somewhere else.  Because if you are from there, you will call it by it's proper name,  Or-a-gun.   Like, if I want to protect myself, should I carry a knife,  OR A GUN?  Slight emphasis on the Or.

Now that I have educated some of you, I can get on with my favorite part of that state, which is known for it's gorgeous coastline.  But here is a most excellent day trip easily do-able from Portland, a lovely city at the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette rivers.  (And by the way, it's not Willam-ETTE, it's Will-AM-ette.)  I like this day trip even more than going to the Coast.  

Check to make sure it is a sunny day which would typically be a pretty good possibility between May and September, and often during the other months too, but you might not want to count on November through February.   Head east on I-84, otherwise known as the Banfield Freeway, and exit at Troutdale.

Troutdale is a cluster of darling little shops and restaurants, and the ladies in your party will probably want to stop for "just a little while."  Ha!  We've heard that before!  (And I've said it before too.)  Drive through the town, which is proclaimed by a sign that spans the road  to be the Gateway to the Columbia Gorge.  You are still parallel to the Columbia,  and you will cross the Sandy River. You are now on the historic and beautiful Columbia River Highway, completed in 1916.

Even the beginning of the highway, out of view of the river,  is gorgeous as it winds uphill through the mini- villages of Springdale and Corbett.   Shortly after, you will come to the Vista House at Crown Point which gives you splendid views east and west along the river and is itself  a restored gem of an early 20th century building.  During my trip Memorial Day weekend, I spent only about 10 minutes because the weather was as below:  (and I have been there any number of times in the past).

Although I said go in May,  I did not mean May of 2011.  You see the hills of southern Washington across the way and on a clear day during this trip you may at times see some of the snowclad peaks of the area.

Next, on to the dazzling array of waterfalls just a short drive away.  What enchants us so much as a high ribbon of water falling off a cliff in the woods?  For your banquet's  appetizer,  the first fall you will come to is Latourell.  Park in the lot and take the short walk uphill just a few hundred feet for your first and perhaps best view:

You can stop here and sit for awhile or continue along the trail to get some splendid side views of the falls.  None of these waterfalls require an actual hike, which I will define as "a long way and you would need a water bottle and that sort of thing".  But some of the paths have some relatively steep sections so be ready to take your time.

Pop back into the car and your next course in the banquet is one of my favorites.  Bridal Veil Falls.  There is a nice park here, with clean restrooms, and a short and flat paved loop that gives you superlative views of the Columbia River below.  The other trail, to the falls, has it's ups and downs (pun intended) but you will see some truly spectacular scenery.

Here you are on a bridge approaching from the bottom.  This is where the falls become a stream tumbling happily, I like to think, toward the Columbia River,  after its freefall from the ridge above.  You will now take an uphill path to a viewing platform where you can get great photos of the two-tiered waterfall.

 

As you came into the parking lot, you will have noticed an enticing building across the street.  This is the Bridal Veil Lodge B&B and although I have never visited it,  this is the only place within what I call the "waterfall zone" along this historic highway.   If you are all about hiking, rather than short walks,  this would be a good place from which to start.  Drive from Portland the evening before, stop at Tad's Chicken 'n Dumplins along the Sandy River just outside of Troutdale for dinner, then spend the night here.  After you climb out of your B in the morning you can have a hearty B (get it?) before you set off on a day of hikes.

Just east of Bridal Veil Falls, you will arrive at Wahkeena Falls, another one that can be seen from the base of the parking lot but is worth the walk up.  Like Multnomah Falls, the most famous,  this one has a stone 1920s footbridge in front of the base of the falls so you can be close enough to enjoy the spray on a hot day.

Speaking of Multnomah Falls,  you will most likely stop here next, the heart of your banquet.  This is one of the most iconic images of Oregon that you will find.   The ample parking, easy paths, and lovely day lodge with both casual and sit-down dining make it a popular  afternoon trip for Portlanders, or a nice stop if you are heading to eastern Oregon on I-84. You'll probably see license plates from several states in the parking lot.

One thing that they didn't get right:  the sign in front of the falls proudly claims that this is the second highest year-round fall in the US.  Unfortunately, there are about 100 falls that will disagree.  There are 30 alone across the river in Washington (in the North Cascades) and a good portion of the highest falls are in Hawaii,  also home to about 30 of the top 100.  Some are not sure it is even the highest in Oregon.  California's Yosemite Falls, typically touted as the highest, is only about #15.    And, there are many very, very remote falls in such mountainous areas as Alaska that haven't ever been measured.

Still, this is accessible, quite lovely, and photogenic.  Learn about the sad but beautiful native legend of the beautiful maiden (of course!) who caused the falls, and other stories explaining creation.

The next falls I love are Oneonta Falls, which is a real challenge to reach, and only accessible for part of the year.  This is the falls you will want to visit when it is oh, say, 100 degrees out.  You will walk in along a stream that belies what comes next.  Your first challenge is a logjam which you must navigate very carefully. You approach a very narrow gorge and you must either wade through (or sometimes the water is so deep you will swim), or climb on the steep rocks, but not very high.  Then the gorge turns a slight corner and you come into one of the most beautiful visions you will EVER see, honestly.  The falls, the gorge, the greenery, the coolness on a hot day.  It's almost like Mother Nature made it just hard enough to get into that she decided to reward you with a breathtaking scene for your efforts.  However, this day in late May the stream was raging and over it's typical bank, so I could only gaze longingly at the logjam.  I will just have to link you to a photo or two:  a great Gorge shot, (click on the little camera where it says Oneonta Gorge and then click again to enlarge--there are two pix here, one of the gorge and one of the falls) and an exceptional view of the falls.  If you haven't guessed yet, this is the dessert of your banquet.

Afterward, continue east along the historic road, past Horsetail Falls (literally at the road's edge) and you can then either pick up I-84 west back to Portland, or continue on to Bonneville Dam for a tour.  You can also see the huge and ugly sturgeon in their pond.   (Tens of thousands of them live in the river, and earlier this year it was discovered that something over 60,000 of them had clustered in a huge ball at the base of the dam.  The army thought they were debris that had detached from the dam.)  We then went on to Cascade Locks and the Bridge of the Gods (of course there is a legend based in truth here), crossed to Washington, and continued on home.  Or, you can swing back onto I-84 if you are staying in Portland.

I truly cannot think of a better way to spend a hot day, and I've been in hot weather all over the world, including the Greek Isles,  the South Pacific,  and beach resorts galore.  (Winter can be gorgeous too, but you'll be sticking closer to the car and the paths and trails may not be as safe.)

A Charming Day from Seattle

OK here is a little poll....how many of you have visited, or live in, Seattle?   Raise your hands so I can get a count!   Hmmmm.... 14, 17, 20, 37, 42....lots of you, a majority of you I'd say.

Now, how many of you have visited the grave of the great Chief Seattle?  Oh oh.  I see only a few of you wiggling your fingers up.  And how many of you went because I made you?  I see my relatives' hands!

You don't see much about Chief Seattle (which is not the exact pronunciation as the white people were incapable of duplicating the sounds of the coastal natives' languages) in the history books, but he was a great chief who wanted peace, united various tribes, and did much for the "pale faces".  He was also a visionary because, when the earliest settlers arrived, he understood the scope of their numbers and that change was inevitable.  He was a friend to the people who named their city after them, and  beloved by both his people and mine.

Chief Seattle is buried in the modest graveyard of the Suquamish Indians, located adjacent to a tiny Catholic church in the town of Suquamish.  To get here from Seattle, drive onto the Bainbridge Island ferry (a favorite tourist ferry ride, Bainbridge itself is worth the visit.)  After docking at Bainbridge the road you exit onto will take you across the island to the Agate Pass bridge to the Kitsap Peninsula.   Shortly after crossing the bridge you will see the Clearwater Casino and Resort on the left, and here you will look for the signs on the right pointing to Chief Seattle's grave.   Look sharp, they are small!   A few minutes and a few turns  later you will see the church on the left so park in the lot, and enter the modest yet heartfelt cemetery.  You will immediately know where to go....

as this is really the only monument of note.  He was originally laid to rest in a simple plot but in 1890 a group of Seattle pioneers, who had known the chief, erected the inscribed monument over the grave.   In the 1970s, the grave was marked with four posts with sidebars  shaped like the canoes used by the local tribes.  You could physically walk up to the monument within this framework.  Recently, the grave has been surrounded by a low cement wall with imprinted phrases attributed to Seattle in both English and Lushootseed, his language.   Work is ongoing at the cemetery.         

My first visit was years ago when I was driving to visit relatives on the Olympic Peninsula.   I saw the very small sign and was curious.  What I found was a tiny corner of the world that was beautiful, peaceful, and honored a fine man.  I noticed that gifts were left, from flowers to shells to little stuffed animals to whatever someone wanted to leave.  So now I bring something too. 

Every August, his tribe honors him with a ceremony during Chief Seattle Days, started in 1911 by tribal members and civic leaders from Seattle.  Besides a graveside memorial, the festivities include an Indian Salmon bake,  canoe races, native drumming and dancing competition and much more.  Next year will be the 100th celebration.  True Indian salmon bakes used to be a staple in this area but are dwindling.  Sockeye baked over alder...there's nothing like it.   With eight children, there are still many descendants of the chief in the area so perhaps I'll go next year and hope to meet them!

The rest of the small cemetery is interesting to explore, with some markers fascinating in their simplicity.  And there are a few other things that might interest you nearby. 

Turn left from the parking lot and you will be in the town of Suquamish in about 10 seconds, perhaps have a bite to eat, but mostly so you can see the breathtaking view across Puget Sound to the high rises of his namesake city in the distance over Bainbridge Island.   The burly snow covered  Mt. Rainier further south makes the view even more of a treat.  You will have also seen signs pointing toward Old Man House, almost a pocket park, where stood the massive home where Seattle and his family lived along with a number of other chieftains.   Part residence, part potlatch site, this building was erected using traditional coastal methods sometime before 1800 but no longer stands.  The little park is on the water along Agate Pass, close to Suquamish, and has  informational signs illustrating both the ecological and historic importance of the area.  Nearby is the Suquamish Museum.  The House itself probably covered over an acre and must have been easily spotted by early explorers.  Chief Seattle said he met Captain Vancouver during his childhood,  a distinct possibility.

This is a wonderful less-than-a-day trip if you have a car.  Best to go on a sunny day as views are quite spectacular.  In the winter when the leaves are down, they are even better. Other stops can be made, too.   Although I am not a casino person, the Clearwater complex  is nice, and  the resort and the grounds are lovely with lots of Native American art displayed throughout.  Do make time to stop in Winslow, near the ferry terminal on Bainbridge.  My personal favorites are Cafe Nola,  the Bainbridge Bakery for peanut butter and jelly pull-aparts (ask them to be heated up!),  locally made ice cream at Mora's, and a while spent browsing at Eagle Harbor Bookstore, but all of the businesses here are a treat. 

My commercial: offseason travel is always a bargain.  You won't want to be doing your walking or biking tours then...but museums, cultural events, and just shopping and dining can allow you get to know places in another way.   Visiting the Christmas Markets along the Danube in Germany by riverboat,  going to concerts and shows,  and just doing some of the "indoorsy" things you wouldn't be doing during warmer months are all advantages of traveling when rates are low.  Check with me for business class air and famed hotels at (relatively) bargain basement prices.   anne@specialtycruise.com or call me at 888-857-7379 9-5 PST.