We were awoken late last night for a surprise showing of the northern lights. A brushstroke of green light swept the sky above the ship as we ventured on deck to see this spectacular nature. Our morning was also a spectacular sight, but this time with pastel skies gracing tree-covered islands.
After breakfast we filed onto school buses like eager pupils to head to Old Masset, about an hour and forty-five minutes north of where the ship anchored in Queen Charlotte City. We spent the morning visiting the homes and workshops of Haida artists. At Jim Hart’s home and workshop, we were greeted by artisans Jaalen Edenshaw and John Brent. John showed us his lithography and letterpress work that he created while receiving his Masters in Fine Art in Montreal before we headed outside to see the reconciliation pole, a giant carved pole commissioned by the University of British Columbia to acknowledge and move forward from the treatment that the First Nation people received from the Canadian government in the recent past.
Later, we arrived at the home of Christian White, a Haida artist, who carves metal, poles, and canoes. He explained the significance of the pole in front of his longhouse that he carved for his father after he passed away in 1995. He then took us inside the workshop that housed a full sized pole and multiple canoes.
We were treated to lunch arranged by Christian’s wife that consisted of many local foods, including different preparations of salmon, sea asparagus, halibut, and other bounty from the sea. The lunch was followed by a dance performance by Christian and his family, which ended in audience participation by the staff and guests. Being that this voyage is a photography-focused voyage, Christian graciously accommodated a request to hold an impromptu portrait photo session inside his beautifully lit longhouse.
The day was complete after returning to the National Geographic Sea Bird and seeing the “local” grey whale surfacing in the harbor.
