WATSONSGOTRAVELLING: HERE'S A LITTLE JINGLE YOU HAVEN'T HEARD IN A WHILE

James waits for us on the beach

SGang Gwaay lies on the exposed southwest coast of Gwaii Haanas - about as far to the south as Masset is to the north in the Haida Gwaii islands group.

We had now travelled Haida Gwaii from its northern tip to its south western boundary.

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981 SGang Gwaay’s village is a sacred site to the Haida. After the population was decimated by epidemics introduced after first contact, hundreds died and were buried in caves and mortuary houses with high ranking individuals laid to rest atop beautifully carved mortuary poles. Stepping ashore we reminded ourselves we were about to walk among these spirits on sacred ground.

All that is left - Mortuary Poles overlook the beach on SGang Gwaay

James, the Haida Watchman who greeted us did a fine job, giving an informative description of what the SGang Gwaay village site would have been like in its glory days and the changes that had occurred after first contact leading to the community’s decline.

James gave an engaging description of the Watchmen‘s responsibilities. We were hanging on to his every word. While James said he was an Eagle we suspected there was an element of the trickster in his DNA - a closet Raven perhaps?

Describing the maintenance work that takes place on the mortuary poles he explained that he and his fellow Watchmen use a cherry picker (that has seen better days) to reach the top of the structures so that foliage that has taken root in the decaying poles over the past season can be cut back. To pass the time he plays traditional Haida songs on his personal music player. Speaking to a space at the top of a decaying mortuary pole that had once contained a bent box with the remains of a great chief secured inside he has been heard to quip “here’s a little jingle you haven’t heard in a while” and “will that be a short back and sides this time“.

A beautiful raven mask takes shape

Our tour of the village poles and fallen timbers complete, we walked across the crescent shaped beach through a verdant woodland area to the Watchmen’s Cabin and met the other Watchmen.

Ken is a talented artist who showed us his sketches and drawings. Retrieving his latest carving we were impressed to see the form of a raven mask taking shape. Such a mild mannered man, he didn’t seem aware of his own talent. Do hope he becomes famous one day.

Halibut and Chips

Back on board, part of the previous day’s halibut catch was served in a beer batter - fish and chips accompanied by Spinnaker craft beer from Victoria.

Fortified, we reboarded the zodiac for a beach walk. The trail through the forest was a little arduous as the only other users appeared to be the deer.

Crawling under the odd fallen tree and over rotting tree stumps we tramped through the thigh high grass to a secluded beach, its black sand and bleached wood gleaming in the sun.

Quite a lot of debris continues to wash ashore from the Japanese tsunami and Jeff, the marine biologist/photographer/deck hand (a very talented young man) came across a shoe, a few boat floats in various sizes and the inevitable plastic bottles which were collected and taken back to the Swell for disposal. Reboarding the zodiac Captain Steve made us all feel human when he lost his balance and fell into the water! Unperturbed we motored back to the Swell from this tranquil setting. Our final shore visit that day would be Rose Harbour and the old whaling station.

Rose Harbour is located on private land where a handful of residents live an isolated life and refuse to sell to Parks Canada despite generous offers.

Before stepping ashore Naturalist Greg made his way to Susan’s house to ask permission to land the party. Known for her garden and the sumptuous dinners she puts on for local kayaking groups, Susan also has a contract with the Parks Service to undertake beach garbage collection and was not home.

Gutz, another resident who has lived at Rose Harbour for 33 years invited us ashore and we walked amongst the derelict remains of what had been a busy whaling station until it was decommissioned in 1941. Gutz showed us his latest acquisition, the jawbone from a Finn whale about 8 feet in length. He hauled out segments of the baleen which the Finn whale uses to filter the krill it consumes - strong and flexible, the baleen has many applications.

Gutz talked about all the items that have washed up on the beach from the tsunami. The beachfront was crammed with all kinds of marine items, whale bones, machinery from the rusting remnants of the whaling station and other debris.

It was a beautiful evening, the skies were clear and the setting sun caste a golden glow over Rose Harbour as we motored back to the Swell for yet another magnificent dinner produced by Chef Lila. The wine flowed a little more freely that evening as the group unwound and passed judgement on another fantastic day in Haida Gwaii.