Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting There
TheeasiestwaytoreachMalcolmIslandiswith
BC Ferries
(250/956-4533),whichmakes
the short run across Broughton Strait from Port McNeill around eight times daily. The
round-trip fare is per adult $11.10, child $5.55, and vehicle $25.80.
This fascinating village is the only settlement on crescent-shaped
Cormorant Island,
which lies in Broughton Strait 45 minutes by ferry from Port McNeill. The island's popu-
lation of 600 is evenly split between natives and nonnatives.
Alert Bay holds plenty of history. Captain Vancouver landed there in the late 1700s,
and it's been a supply stop for fur traders and gold miners on their way to Alaska, a place
forshipstostockuponwater,andhomebasetoanentirefishingfleet.Todaythevillageis
oneoftheregion'smajorfishingandmarineservicecenters,anditholdstwofish-process-
ing and fish-packing plants. Half the island is owned by the Kwakiutl, whose powerful art
draws visitors to Alert Bay.
Sights
Alloftheisland'snumerousattractionscanbereachedonfootorbybicycle.Startbywan-
dering through the village to appreciate the early-1900s waterfront buildings and the col-
orful totems decorating
Nimpkish Burial Ground.
For an outstanding introduction to the fascinating culture and heritage of the Kwakiutl,
don't miss the
U'Mista Cultural Centre
(1 Front St., 250/974-5403, 9am-5pm daily in
summer, 9am-5pm Tues.-Sat. the rest of the year, adult $11, senior $10, student $5.50).
Builttohouseaceremonialpotlatchcollectionconfiscatedbythefederalgovernmentafter
a 1921 ban on potlatches, the center contains masks and other Kwakiutl art and artifacts.
Take a guided tour through the center, and then wander at your leisure past the photos and
colorful displays to watch two award-winning films produced by the center—one explains
the origin and meaning of the potlatch. The center also teaches local children the native
language, culture, song, and dance. It's a 10-minute walk north along the waterfront from
the ferry dock. Along the way, you pass the century-old
Anglican Church.
Also on the
north end of the island you'll find the
Indian Big House,
with one of the world's tallest
totem poles out front (it's 53 meters/174 feet high—the tallest is in Victoria). To get there,
walk uphill from the cultural center (the towering totem pole soon comes into view).
