3rd Day - Pacific Marine Circle Route

We set off in glorious sunshine this morning to drive the Pacific Marine Circle Route which we had been informed would take 6 hours driving and obviously longer with stops. It wasn't long till it clouded over and became quite miserable and not conducive to the walking stops we had planned. We stopped at Port Renfrew for coffee in a place that could only be described as being in the middle of the wilderness. The journey cross country was in logging country so we saw lots of trees in various stages of growth, of felling, logging and being transported. We crossed innumerable creeks over single lane bridges and made our way to Duncan where we did a detour to Chemainus which is famous for its murals. Seemingly, when Chemainus hit a downturn, steps had to be taken to turn it from a logging village to a tourist attraction. Someone came up with the  bright idea of painting giant murals depicting scenes from the past. And it has worked! Tirau in New Zealand did a similar thing with corrugated iron sculptures in order to revitalise the town - you might remember the photos in the New Zealand blog.

This is a mural of the Hong Hing waterfront Store. Hong Hing ran a laundry and then a general store from 1915 to 1950.

 Telephone service became available in Chemainus in 1908. This Victorian residence served as the telephone for 30 telephones in the community.                                                                                  
                                                                                         

Steam Donkey At Work.

Based on the figures from the Native past and present in this area, 3 tribes are depicted.







We returned to Duncan and took out on foot to do the Totem walk. Duncan is famous for its totems. The oldest, original, still standing totem poles are found in the northern regions of Vancouver Island but, because of limitations of time and space, many tourists are unable to venture that far. The City of Duncan and the various artists who have carved the poles have provided a microcosm of the world of the Northwest Coast peoples.

The middle totem is a Kwakwaka'wakw carving by Oscar Matalpi. Oscar Matilpi is a carver who believes the material has its own spirit and spiritual power. The totem is Dzonoqua Wild Woman of the Woods. She is a cannibal giantess or ogress. She has bushy unkempt hair, half-closed eyes and a pursed mouth. She travels through the forest making the sound "Ooh Ooh" as she steals children and throws them into the basket on her back (which is supposedly made of snakes). At her house she makes them into her slaves. This is a good story to teach the dangers of going into the forest alone to little children. The coppers on her chest indicate her wealth.

This pole is a Kwakwaka'wakw carving by Richard Hunt - Cedarman holding a Talking Stick. It is the largest pole in diameter in the world. It is 200cms at the butt end , 39'6" high and weighs 7 tons. It was carved in the street in front of the public, took a year to carve and when finished put up with a special crane.

The journey home was uneventful and now Jim is calling for his dinner so I must obey!