Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Tlingit ceremony
A memorial party (potlatch) was held last September to honor the memory of Mark Jacobs, Jr., a Tlingit elder who passed away two years previously. At the elaborate parties, regalia is displayed and used in dances and other ceremonies. Many of the pieces are more than a century old and are priceless.
Don't you dare use your flash!
Two young brown bear cubs were rescued and taken to the Fortress of the Bears at the old Alaska Pulp Company site seven miles from downtown Sitka. The cubs' mother was shot because she began raiding garbage cans and her cubs would very likely have become victims of older male bears without the protection of their mother. A handicap-access ramp at the site leads to a bear-viewing platform allowing a close-up view of these soon to be one-half ton carnivores.
Seine life
One of the more efficient ways of catching salmon is with the purse seine, a long net which closes at the bottom and which is pulled into a circle in an attempt to surround schools of fish. The seine skiff in the foreground has an extremely powerful motor needed to tow the heavy net with its corks and weights.
A Whale of a lot of fun
Once in a while boaters are treated a show while a whale will slap his tail on the water. Last week, while we were whale watching, one came straight up out of the water the entire length of his body twice while I was looking the other way; I did get a great shot of the splash, though. You'll have to take my word for it until I get lucky enough another time to catch the action preceding the splash.
Now and Then
The excitement of the Gold Rushes of the late 1800's brought thousands of gold-seekers from around the world to Alaska. A few found riches, but many, many more would have ended their days in poverty had not the Territory established the Alaska Pioneers' Home in Sitka in 1913 and provided them with a secure home to spend their golden years.