"Myths Masks & Medicine" (PDF)

t r a v e l a t h o m e MYTHS MASKS and MEDICINE Some of the faces are those of ghostly- pale frightened souls, seemingly weeping tears of blood. One face bears the smirk of ridicule, and another has bulging, whirling eyes. Another still, with sunken eyes and disheveled hair, has her thick lips pursed together in an O, ready to utter her frightening cry: hu hu . It’s the terrifying visage of Dzunuk’wa—the giant of the woods—who, according to legend, snatches naughty children, puts them into her cedar basket and spirits them away to her lair to devour them. >> story + photography by Janet Gyenes March/April 2009 JUST FOR CANADIAN DOCTORS 27 t r a v e l a t h o m e Lillian Hunt, curator of cultural group on the Columbia III, which has also had a practise medicine storied presence on the British Columbia coast as on the BC coast today tourism programs for Alert a hospital ship. It will be our home for three more Bay’s U’mista Cultural Centre, days as we explore aboriginal cultural sites scat- After training in the UK, New Zealand and Vancouver, Dr. explains some of the complex history and leg- tered throughout the ragged coastlines of BC’s Granger Avery leapt at the end behind the wooden masks that make up the pristine Broughton Archipelago. chance to move to the rug- Kwakwaka’wakw First Nation’s potlatch collec- The evening before, our group travelled from ged coastal community of Port tion as she takes our group through the exhibit Port McNeill across the Broughton Strait on the McNeill in 1974, because “I that is arranged in the same strict order as the Columbia III. We anchored among the battered thought I’d better go somewhere masks would be used during potlatch ceremony old shing boats and bunked down in the boat’s where I could learn to make a dances. snug con nes and awoke to the mournful drone decision again.” These elaborately carved masks, some of fog horns. On board, Ross Campbell, cap- “Remote areas are wonder- adorned with horse hair and cedar bark, represent tain of the Columbia III, and his crew—his wife, ful for teaching oneself—and for teaching others—about medi- a centuries-old culture that was once held ransom Fern and daughter Miray—shared historic an- cine,” adds the former President for decades when the federal government, large- ecdotes that unfolded on the coast during the of the BC Medical Association, ly at the behest of missionary groups, banned Kwakwaka’wakw’s cultural repression. and Clinical Professor at UBC’s the potlatch ceremony in the late 19th century. At the turn of the century, logging was plenti- Department of Family Practice. Authorities seized the masks in 1921 at what has ful, but death rates in the risky industry were high. “It’s ideal for physicians who are been described as “the last potlatch ceremony,” And without roads or telephones, schools or li- rational risk-takers.” which was held at Mi’mkwamlis (Village Island). braries, families were isolated. With a mandate to BC’s legendary coast is Here, 45 people were arrested and charged with deliver hospital services throughout the region, home to plenty of rewarding op- spurious “oences,” such as giving and receiving Reverend John Antle’s Columbia Coast Mission portunities for physicians today, permanent or locum. gifts and dancing at the potlatch. (CCM) and the Columbia III became a lifeline to You could join Dr. Avery in Port McNeill, home of the district There’s been an “HB” sighting, and within minutes we hospital for the North Island. Not far away, there’s also a vacancy spy the spray from a humpback whale in the distance in Port Alice, a sheltered gate- way to the Pacifi c. Farther north In 1980, almost six decades later, the U’mista the fragmented communities that eked out an are a few specialist and FP posi- Cultural Centre was opened with a mandate to existence in remote outposts. tions in booming Prince Rupert, ensure the survival of all aspects of the cultural Campbell describes how Antle, who was the travel hub for northern BC. And across the Hecate Strait, heritage of the Kwakwaka’wakw. By this time, characterized as a “hard-talking, hard-swearing the Masset Hospital is ready to most of the potlatch masks had been repatriated. man,” decided to start the CCM, not to convert welcome another physician to Some had been sent to museums in Canada and people to religion, but to bring much- the team practicing at the tip of needed medical services, supplies and the Queen Charlotte Islands or PREVIOUS PAGE, FROM LEFT Memorial totem poles at news to coastal denizens. And for 60 Haida Gwaii. Namgis Burial Grounds, Alert Bay; close-up of U’mista years the CCM eet of 17 ships, includ- Find big adventure in “the totem pole; U’mista Cultural Centre. OPPOSITE PAGE , ing the Columbia III, unfailingly travelled Bellas”: the island village of Bella CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Cruising on the Columbia III; Bella, the largest community on through the bracken to Alert Bay Ecological Park; thousands of kilometres through swells and storms. Campbell points out how the central coast, or Bella Coola. village homes, Alert Bay; remnants of the past, Village Love to surf? The world- the vessel’s original doors open extra Island; shell midden, Village Island; scarlet poppy; famous surfi ng mecca Tofi no frolicking dolphin sighting; curios on display at Billy’s wide to accommodate a stretcher, and has one permanent FP position Museum, Echo Bay; Columbia III, sunset anchorage. how the refurbished salon where we and one locum gig. feasted on breakfast was once the hos- For less rugged, but still abroad; others were sold o to private collectors. pital cabin. The vessel was also one of the rst on pristine, coastal adventures, ex- Not all pieces have been returned. the coast to have a radio. plore specialist or FP careers in Potlatches, which are held by hereditary the laid-back cities of Campbell chiefs, are at the core of the Kwakwaka’wakw Leaving our overnight anchorage at River, Comox or Courtenay. culture: titles and privileges are passed on, mar- Dong Chong Bay, we gather in the wheelhouse You’ll be the envy of your col- leagues if you start a practice riages and deaths are commemorated, and danc- to listen to the squawks coming from the radio. on the islands of Gabriola or es are performed. Hunt explains that the dances There’s been an “HB” sighting, and within minutes Hornby, or snap up the surgical aren’t owned: they’re carried and passed down at we spy the spray from a humpback whale in the position on the international get- potlatch ceremonies. “It took so long [to get the distance. away destination of Salt Spring masks back] that some families didn’t survive, and Soon, though, we’re distracted from our quar- Island. in our culture, when that happens, the dance dies ry by breathy pus of air, snorting and splashing Explore locums throughout with them. We help to correct [what has been around the stern. Dozens of Paci c White-sided the region. Why not make one written] because [our culture] wasn’t lost, it was dolphins have surrounded the boat. They’re play- into a paid extension of your taken away,” says Hunt. “[The masks] weren’t re- ing—and playing with us, too, showing o with trip to BC’s coast? Work for six months, or stay for a year turned, we had to go get them. The villages were their stealth. It’s dolphin soup of ns, ukes and or more…You can check out not abandoned, we were displaced.” noses ipping and splashing in the briny broth. what’s available at Health Match After taking us through the potlatch collec- Pairs leap frog one over the other. Farther back, BC (healthmatchbc.org). tion, Hunt, who grew up in Alert Bay, joins our soloists propel themselves clear out of the water, —Pamela Clarke 28 JUST FOR CANADIAN DOCTORS March/April 2009 t r a v e l a t h o m e March/April 2009 JUST FOR CANADIAN DOCTORS 29 h o t s p o t s t r a v e l a t h o m e n o eliciting cheers and clapping from our gang. We speed up and i the dolphins skim alongside the stern—one, two, three—and jockey for position to ride the waves in a playful bravado. Eventually, the dolphins disappear, and we double back be- n a t i tween craggy islets toward Mi’mkwamlis (Village Island), site of the last potlatch. Shards of old china—a handle from a teacup, the rim of a saucer decorated with tiny blue owers—litter the beach, along with crushed white shells reveal traces of an abundant d e s t life. Honeysuckles perfume the air, and the din of bees buzzing around swaths of thimbleberries cuts through the stillness. Shells crunch underfoot as we stroll past the sun-bleached remains of a shed. We scramble up the embankment and Fern points out what’s left of an old totem that now rests beneath the shade of an ancient cherry tree. Moss camou ages the barely perceptible outline of an otter and grizzly bear claws. A few old buildings and posts from the Big House stand as reminders of the once-bustling community of Aboriginals, missionaries, and teachers who may have greeted the Columbia III on its visits.

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