The first of the First Nations communities we anchored at, Alert Bay, has lots of totem poles both old and new, indigenous art, and a lovely museum, the U’mista Cultural Centre. With a focus on preserving the history and culture of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw, there was a collection of the creation stories, art, textiles, and even a large collection (no photos allowed) of Potlatch dance masks.

While Alert Bay was between the 50s-70s a booming fishing and marine industry town with, apparently, more than enough liquor, gambling, and other vices to go around, these days it’s a quiet community with ferry service to Port McNeill and lots of indigenous art.

Something we’d never seen before was the sheer number of ravens around the town. While we also saw some crows, the ravens were everywhere, and much less shy than I’d ever experienced before. Foraging for food on the beach, hanging out in trees, on buildings, and making lots of funny sounds in addition to the standard raven croaking.

While the museum was for the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw overall, Alert Bay itself is the home of one of the bands of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw, the ‘Namgis Nation, and the graveyard filled with totem poles (and a few headstones) for past leaders is specifically for the ‘Namgis.