Kelly Date June 8, 2010

Hi all! I'm glad I held off blogging again until after I got back from Skedans. It was a very amazing day and a group of eight spent about six hours in a boat in and around Louise Island, stopping at several places along the way. Skendans, was of course the main stop of interest and we spent about two hours there sitting on the beach eating lunch and touring around the old village site to view the remaining totem poles of the Tanu Haida.

It started out to be a cold, windy, and raining day, however by about 10:30 or 11:00 it started to clear up and we enjoyed a very sunny and warm day. Ha, I have the red cheeks to prove it. Of course, I sat right at the front

of the boat so I could get some good photos and I'm hoping they actually load today. It was a bit of a rough ride up there though so most of those

didn't turn out too well. Ha, but I was thrilled to spend the day with my face to the sun and the wind in my hair. Awesome!

One of the Haida Watchmen (a woman) greeted us at Skedans and we all signed in so they can keep track of the number of visitors. The Watchmen have guarded these old villages sites sin

ce the early 1970's as people were removing things from the villages. At times, people used chain saws to remove portions of the poles and drug them away behind their boats. So, they have made it an offical program now where Haida people take training and stay at one of about seven sites for anywhere from one to two months at a time.

The time spent wandering around these ancient poles was mesmerizing. I was glad that I had read the book about the poles at Skedans previously so I knew a little bit of what they were talking about already. For the most part, I hung back so I could take photographs and film some of the goings on. There were several

large groups of poles which sit all helter-skelter in the village with small trees growing out of them. This happened as some of the poles had burial boxes on, or inside of the them and this is where the more recent rot and growth stems from. The one pole I have here is a close up of the face, but you can see all the small trees and bushes that have sprouted up from the front of the pole.

It was a glorious day and I'm so glad the weather turned out. Moresby Island Explorers did a great job of ferrying us around and helping make the day memorable. I was so tired though by the time we got back I could barely keep my eyes open - in fact I tottered over onto the should of the poor lady sitting next to me a couple of times. Ha, my humble apologies. As per usual, I couldn't sleep the night before as I was so excited about the trip.

I hope you enjoy the photos I've included. I had great fun just taking them. Enjoy. Oh, its my birthday on Friday and we're going out - a beach party in front of the Haida Heritage Centre where I'm working and smores. Woo Woo. I always wondered where I'd turn 50 and now I know. Couldn't think of a better place. Great day, Kelly