People of the Pacific Northwest Coast carved out of cedar some
of the largest and most extraordinary wood sculptures in the world.
They treated the poles with great respect, like a family member,
their storyteller since every figure on the pole outlined a story.
Many hundreds of totem poles were purchased or stolen in the early
XXth century and shipped to museums all over the world. In Canada a
law banning the potlatch prevented the native poeple to celebrate
their art, until the early fifties. Fortunatly many villagess had
continued celebrating them in secret so the artistic traditions
including totem carving were not all lost. With the growing
interest to revive this art, many totem poles were then
commissioned, very often to replace older decaying poles. Vancouver
and Victoria now boast the largest and most beautiful collections
of poles. Victoria is also home to the second tallest totem in the
world, at Beacon Hill Park (the tallest one being in Alert Bay, up
island). Most of the totems that were commissioned represent crests
from various clans. Some represent well-known 'public' stories,
while others are stories not to be told to strangers.
The cache is at 48 2A.BCD 123 2E.FGH
The following totemic figures will give you the coordinates,
following this scale:
0= Thunderbird is one of the most powerful spirits. Thunder
rolls from his wings beat and lightning flashes from his blinking
eyes. He is often depicted with curled feather horns on top of his
head and with his wings outstretched.
1= Man holding a Copper. The copper represents great wealth and
prestige. Chiefs proclaimed their ranks and lineage by displaying
coppers at a potlatch. Each copper had a name and a history and
represented a specific value.
2= Three watchmen, crouched human figures, they stand guard to
check for any approaching canoes. They wear long hats with rings
called skils that indicate the high status of the chief whose house
they are guarding. It is thought that the number of skils
represents the number of potlaches given by the chief.
3= Dzunukwa the giantess of the forest. She would steal children
who are crying but because she was clumsy they often escaped, and
through their encounter with her they acquired some of her
supernatural powers. She was chased by a human for stealing some
dried fish, but he eventually married her. She is depicted as
holding her son who is half human and half Dzunkwa. Her face is
yellow and red and her red lips are pursed to indicate her cry "Hu
hu hu".
5= Sea Chief, depicted with hanging eyes. At night his eyes
would drop down from their sockets and hang down to his waist. At
meal time his friends would put his eyes back in their sockets and
hold them there so he could see what he eats.
6= Whale, is often depicted with his tail turned up onto his
front body, and with a small human head upside down in his
blowhole.
7= Great Being from the lake, wearing the Brave's helmet.
Running through the helmet is a stick on which two Kingfishers are
perched.
8= Mawdzeks, a mythical bird, resembling an eagle, with a short
beak turned down, is often depicted with his wing wrapped in front
of him.
8= Hanging Frog, appears as a frog hanging upside down. This is
related to the story Neegyamks, a chief's daughter, who disappeared
one night. Eventually two frogs led the chief to a nearby lake,
which was drained, the chief killed a large Frog and took it for a
crest.
9= Beaver is easily recognizable with his two large incisor
teeth, and his crosshatched tail.
Now look at the following totems and identify the figures in the
requested position on the totem pole. Only figures directly along
the pole should be counted, eg: if a bear is holding a halibut in
its paw, only the bear counts as one figure.
A) Locate in the Gallery the Haida totem pole from T'aanu, Haida
Gwaii. The bottom (principal) figure on this totem will give you
the value of A using the scale above.
B) Locate the totem post from Heiltsuk, Bella bella, Campbell
island. The main figure of the pole gives B.
C) Locate the Gitxsan totem from Gitanyow, Skeena River. The
figure at the bottom of the pole gives C.
D) Now go down North towards the street to the native plants
garden, and locate the Kwakwaka'wakw totem pole carved by Richard
Hunt. The first figure on this totem is a Bear holding a human. The
man is George "Slash" Taylor, a long-time friend of the carver. As
a kid he played with an axe and accidently got one of his fingers
chopped off. Which finger is missing?
-right index D=4
-left index D=3
-right thumb D=2
-left thumb D=1
-right middle finger D=0
-left middle finger D=5
E) On this totem the figure in second position (above the bear)
will give you E
F) Move now East to the street corner. Locate the Kwakwaka'wakw
totem in Thunderbird Park carved by Mungo Martin with Dzunukwa at
the bottom and Thunderbird on top. The second figure from the
bottom will give you F. Note that for this totem as well as for the
next 2, there are no plaques or information describing the totem,
you need to recognize the figures using the descriptions above.
G) Move up South along the street. Locate the Gitxsan totem
(carved by Mungo & David Martin, Henry &Tony Hunt) with the
Great Being from the Lake at the top of the pole. The figure just
under the long uncarved part of the pole gives you G.
H) Locate the Haida totem carved by Mungo Martin with the three
watchmen with 5 skils' hats at the top. The first figure at the
bottom of the pole will give you H. If you are unsure about some
figures, keep in mind that all the figures described above should
have been mentioned or used at some point at least once.
Now that the totem figures have spoken to you, go get the cache,
it is very close, no canoe necessary, and keep it safe from
muggles.
You can check your answers for this puzzle on
Geochecker.com.