Post #8: Ketchikan

<from Dan, except for italics>

Back to the week of the cruise:

Our first port of call was Ketchikan (on 8/6), which we reached after a day and a half of sailing from Vancouver. But before getting to that, I want to add one more shipboard shot:

When we went on shore in Ketchikan, the hardy and intrepid among us (Joe, with Shosh and Ari, Becky and all her family, and Ben) went ziplining for the morning. (Amir really wanted to go but didn’t meet the minimum weight requirement!)

Ari has already posted about this, so I’ll add just one photo he didn’t include:

Meanwhile, the rest of us wandered around town. There’s a stream in the middle of town, and we saw lots of salmon swimming upstream (or, more accurately, swimming facing upstream but not seeming to get anywhere).

Nina found a beautiful eagle-and-raven bracelet in one of the Ketchikan shops. The eagle and raven represent the two clans of the Tlingit tribe. Everyone belongs to one clan or the other, and they can only marry someone of the opposite clan, so the combination has a kind of “love bird” sense. I bought Nina a ring with the eagle-raven motif for our first anniversary many years ago.

The ring is by Larry Taranoff, one of the most famous Tlingit jewelry makers. He uses tribal, clan, and family symbols in his work.

NOTE FROM NINA ON CULTURAL APPROPRIATION.

I‘ve always found it hard to feel like I really understood the concept of cultural appropriation. I saw it in action in Alaska. Here, Larry Taranoff is revered by those familiar with his work. Now, In addition to family and tribal followers, many non-native jewelry artists have adopted Taranoff’s designs. I felt sad when I realized that some of the people selling these derivative designs didn’t know who Larry Taranoff was. Cultural appropriation in action, I think.

VISIT TO SAXMAN INDIAN VILLAGE

After the ziplining by some and wandering around town by others, we all joined together for a visit to Saxman – a village with many beautiful totems. Here are some photos: (There is a missing piece at the top of the first one.)

Here’s Joe and Tamar with many of the totems in the background:

The next totem has a story that goes with it. William Seward (who was responsible for the U.S. “purchase” of Alaska from the Russians) visited the area at one point. The locals put on several potlatches –ceremonies of hospitality with gifts and sharing of food — in his honor. Unfortunately, Seward had no idea that he was expected to reciprocate. As a result, he deeply insulted to the locals, and to reflect their attitude, they built the totem below which shows him as a fool.

We also saw a demonstration of totem carving, and discussion of the various tools and techniques that the carvers use. The photo here is actually from Juneau, but it illustrates the work:

Here are some other photos, showing images from their work:

The visit included a presentation of traditional dance in their ceremonial hall. Here we all are in front of the hall:

This photo shows the setting for the stage inside the hall:

Toward the end of the dance performance, audience members were invited to join in. Joe, Charley, Nina, and I volunteered. (We are all in the photo of the dancing, with Nina in the back.)

At the end of this wonderful day, back to the ship. Juneau, tomorrow.