Eagle with Salmon, Orca, Bear with Salmon
This Totem Pole, carve in Contemporary Coast Salish style by master carver Doug LaFortune of the Tsawout First Nation, was dedicated on September 9th, 2004 in celebration of the 100th anniversary of . . . — — Map (db m74456) HM
Here, the mouth of the river is known as diitiida (Drifted Ashore) to the Pacheedaht (People of the Seafoam), and Ditidaht First Nations. At this ancient origin site, the two groups lived together as one people before the Great Flood. Spanish . . . — — Map (db m187889) HM
Project of Native Indians' Participation Centennial Sub-Committee
to commemorate
the Union in 1866 of the colonies
on Vancouver Island and the mainland as
British Columbia
Kwakiutl Bear Pole
carved by
Mr. Henry Hunt of . . . — — Map (db m74399) HM
Sahsima, meaning "harpoon", was the original name identified by Songhees elder James Fraser for the point where the Chinese Cemetery is located. Hayls the Transformer, with spirit companions Raven and Mink, came by in his canoe, frightening away . . . — — Map (db m75313) HM
Turkey Head was known by the indigenous people as Spewhung.
A large shell-midden along this shoreline indicates that this was an ancient village site to which first peoples brought many fish, bird, mammal and plant resources. Food was . . . — — Map (db m75329) HM
This small islet and the adjacent shore were once an indigenous encampment connected with the village at McNeill Bay, Chikawich, to the west. The people living here ate over 20 species of fish and 15 species of birds, as well as deer, sea . . . — — Map (db m75340) HM
How did people navigate this coastline before lighthouses and GPS?
Comment les gens naviguaient-ils le long de la côte avant les phares et le GPS?
————————————— . . . — — Map (db m99204) HM
127 Feet, 7 Inches
Carved by Mungo Martin • David Martin • Henry Hunt
Dedicated July 2, 1956
Percy B. Scurrah, Mayor of Victoria
Hon. Ray Williston, Minister of Education
Stuart Keate, Sponsor
Raised by public subscription through the . . . — — Map (db m49250) HM
Death, life and happiness are in the story of Beacon Hill.
On these headlands, where an ancient race once buried their dead, early settlers erected beacons to guide mariners past dangerous Brotchie Ledge.
Here, too, ever since Victoria was . . . — — Map (db m49255) HM
[Medallions, top row]
Milton – Sophocles – Shakespeare – Socrates – Dante – Homer
[Statues, anti-clockwise from the top left]
Colonel R.C. Moody
1813-1887
Commander of Royal Engineers in 1858, erected New . . . — — Map (db m49045) HM
Named after Roderick Finlayson Chief – Factor Hudson’s Bay Company at Victoria 1844 – 1872.
Before the arrival of white men this was the site of an ancient fortified Indian Village.
A battery of two 64 pound wrought iron rifled guns . . . — — Map (db m49244) HM
Carved by Master Carver Cicero August and his sons Darrell and Doug August for the Cowichan Tribes, on the occasion of the closing of the XIV Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand and the beginning of Victoria’s role as host of the XV . . . — — Map (db m49043) HM
There are messages in the landscape here, surviving traditional place names, and the soil itself preserves ancient stories waiting to be told.
This is the land of the Lekwungen People, known today as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. As . . . — — Map (db m74378) HM
British Columbia was formed from four British Colonies and territories:
The Crown Colony of Vancouver Island 1845
The Dependency of the Queen Charlotte Islands 1852
The Crown Colony of British Columbia 1856
The Stickeen . . . — — Map (db m49074) HM
a replica of the original pole carved in 1960
by Chief Mungo Martin
Carved by Chief Tony Hunt
and
Raised on 8 September 2012
in the presence of
The Honourable Steven L. Point, OBC
Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia
in honour . . . — — Map (db m75002) HM WM
English:
Simon Fraser and John Stuart established Fort St. James among the Carrier Indians in 1806. Originally a North West Company post, it passed to the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1821. From the beginning an important centre of trade and . . . — — Map (db m42736) HM
In 1893 a Kootenay Indian, Pierre,
found a rich galena outcrop in
the hills nearby. Father Coccola
of St. Eugene Mission arranged
sale of the claims, and with the
proceeds built a new home for
Pierre and a new mission church.
Development of . . . — — Map (db m187928) HM
Rivers born in Canada's Rockies
carved passes eastward to Hudson
Bay or westward to the Pacific.
This one was long used by Indians,
but not shown on maps until the
Palliser Expedition of 1860, and
then only from hearsay. Michael
Phillipps . . . — — Map (db m187912) HM
{In English:} The oldest surviving mission church in the Vancouver area has long been a focal point of the Mission Reserve. Chief Snat, a renowned Squamish leader, assisted by the Oblate missionaries, was largely responsible for building the . . . — — Map (db m32481) HM
River Routes
Located near the intersection of the King George VI Highway and the Nicomekl River, the Port Elgin area has been a crossroads for various forms of traffic for thousands of years. For centuries prior to the arrival of the first . . . — — Map (db m63715) HM
Head of sternwheeler navigation on the Skeena. The town grew at the landing close to the Indian village of Gitenmaks. Crews from the Collins Telegraph arrived in 1866. Following them Omineca gold miners, Hudson’s Bay pack strings and “gandy . . . — — Map (db m9073) HM
This site, once the largest village of the Bulkley Valley Indians, later was named after the pioneer missionary, Father Morice. Salmon, staple food of the Indian, concentrated in the canyon and were caught with basketry traps, dip-nets, and . . . — — Map (db m9072) HM
The Gitxsan are people of the Skeena River or River of Mist. For 10,000 years the Gitxsan have dwelled in their traditional territory and today approximately 13,000 members live in communities known as Gitwangak, Gitanyow, Gitsegukla, Hagwilget, . . . — — Map (db m187933) HM
You are standing on thousands of years of history. The clearing around Lumbermen's Arch has been the perfect gathering spot for generations.
Place of the Mask
The local Coast Salish named this site Xwdyxway (pronounced whoi . . . — — Map (db m236022) HM
CARVED IN 1987 BY NISGA’A ARTIST NORMAN TAIT ALONG with his son Isaac, brother Robert, and nephew Ron Telek, this pole depicts how the Tait family's Eagle clan adopted the beaver as their crest, and how the eagle and raven met and shared the . . . — — Map (db m236192) HM
AN OLDER VERSION OF THIS POLE WAS RAISED IN THE Haida village of Skidegate about 1870. It honours the Raven Chief of Skedans and depicts the chief's hereditary crests. The two tiny figures in the bear's ears are the chief's daughter and son-in-law . . . — — Map (db m236187) HM
IN KWAKWAKA'WAKW (KWAKIUTL) CEREMONIES, CARVED staffs called talking sticks are held by people making important speeches on behalf of a chief. This pole represents the talking stick and characters in an Owikeno story belonging to Chief Wakas. The . . . — — Map (db m236193) HM
Originally built to access the North Shore, the Lions Gate Bridge is now one of the city's busiest thoroughfares with over 60,000 vehicles driving across each day.
Tension over the Suspension
In 1927, Vancouverites voted against building a . . . — — Map (db m198590) HM
GA'AKSTALAS, CARVED BY WAYNE ALFRED AND BEAU DICK IN 1991, is based on a design by Russell Smith. The pole depicts many important figures in Kwakwaka'wakw culture. Red Cedar-bark Man is an ancestor who survived the great flood and gave the people . . . — — Map (db m236188) HM
The totem was the British Columbia Indian's "Coat of arms", totem poles are unique to the North west coast of B.C. and lower Alaska. They were carved from western red cedar and each carving tells of a real or mythical event. They were not idols, nor . . . — — Map (db m236186) HM
This ancient symbol of the Inuit culture is traditionally used as a landmark and navigational aid and also represents northern hospitality and friendship. Constructed of grey granite by Alvin Kanak of Rankin Inlet, this monument was commissioned by . . . — — Map (db m236351) HM
KWARWARA' WARW CARVER ELLEN NEEL AND HER UNCLE Mungo Martin were among the first artists to achieve wide recognition for their totem poles commissioned by museums, cities, and art collectors. Neel was also the first woman to become a Northwest . . . — — Map (db m236194) HM
FIRST NATIONS ORIGIN STORIES TELL OF THE ANIMALS AND supernatural beings who helped found family lineages. These stories are celebrated in songs, dances, and totem pole carvings. Kwakwaka'wakw artist Oscar Maltipi carved this pole in 1968. . . . — — Map (db m236190) HM
"Our art comes from spirituality. From after the onslaught of another culture, our spirituality and our belief are alive. In this pole we wanted to acknowledge the arts and ceremonies of our grandparents' generation and show that the arts are here . . . — — Map (db m236191) HM
CARVED HOUSE POSTS ARE USED IN TRADITIONAL FIRST Nations cedar houses to support the huge roof beams. This pole is a replica of a house post carved by Kwakwaka' wakw artist Charlie James in the early 1900s. Tony Hunt carved this replica in 1987 to . . . — — Map (db m236189) HM
By 1865, fortunes were made in BC, thanks to world demand for the plush pelt of the northern seal.
Sealing dominated the city of Victoria's economy for nearly 50 years. At its height, 122 schooners employed over 3,000 hunters, the majority . . . — — Map (db m236307) HM
On November 12, 1892, the first Snuneymuxw vs. European soccer match was played here. One of the star players "Xul-si-malt" Harry Manson, went on to win British Columbia and Nanaimo championships. His legacy of overcoming prejudice in sport is . . . — — Map (db m187894) HM
For many thousands of years S ukwnaqinx (later Anglicized to "Okanagan") travelled and peopled a far-reaching territory. Though their main camp was centred at Penticton, this valley was used as a food gathering base-camp. . . . — — Map (db m187910) HM
The Okanagan nation knows Spotted Lake, just east of here, as K t li lxw. From time immemorial its healing waters and mud were used by First Nations to cure aches and illness, and for spiritual healing. High concentrations of Epsom . . . — — Map (db m187927) HM
The Skeena, “river of mists,” makes a major cleft through the Coast Mountains. To Coastal Tsimshian Indians and Interior tribes it was vital to trade and travel. In later years, Port Essington, near the river’s mouth, became the main . . . — — Map (db m9074) HM
The school was built in 1890, then re-built in 1923 due to a fire and remained open until 1977. In the 1920's, Native children aged 4-15 years were forcibly taken and prohibited from seeing their families, practicing their languages, cultures, and . . . — — Map (db m187877) HM
