Port McNeill Aboriginal & Cultural
 Totem pole at the Namgis Burial Grounds, Carol Clemens photo
Kwakwaka'wakw First Nation The annual voyage of the Columbia III cruises passengers through the ancestral waters, lands, culture and history of the Kwakwaka'wakw people. The Columbia III has a history and culture of its own. Built in 1956, the ship was the third in a line of vessels designed to bring medicine, religion, marriages, baptisms and social life to Vancouver Island's remote coastal communities, starting in 1905.
Columbia III Ship It was decommissioned in 1969 with the advent of Medicare, Canada's national health care system. But the Columbia III is remembered with huge fondness in the villages of the North Island.
First Nations Cultural Cruise Now, lovingly renovated and operated by Mothership Adventures as a small, intimate cruise ship - maybe the smallest cruise ship in the world - it carries up to 10 passengers once a year to the heart of the Broughton Archipelago. The four-day First Nations Cultural Cruise in the Broughton Archipelago with Lillian Hunt is a unique collaboration among Mothership Adventures, the U'Mista Cultural Centre and the Kwakwaka'wakw First Nations of Alert Bay.
Alert Bay & the Potlatch Collection  First stop on this adventurous voyage is Alert Bay and the remarkable U'Mista Cultural Centre and Museum. Passengers discover the Aboriginal tradition of potlatch and view a stunning collection of ceremonial masks and regalia once outlawed in this country. A visit to the "Big House" brings exhilarating First Nations drumming and dancing. And no stay in Alert Bay is complete without a stroll to the local cemetery to see and photograph its artful funerary totems. Broughton Archipelago Then the Columbia III cruises the Archipelago and its islands. Passengers can explore historic Aboriginal villages. They discover ancient middens, underground strata composed entirely of discarded sea shells. They observe schools of dolphins and pods of Orca whales from the deck of the ship. Black bears are spotted feasting on crabs along the shoreline. Blackfish Sound, wafting with mist is captured by photographers. The focus is culture, but natural grandeur is no afterthought.
Curator Lillian Hunt Aboard to talk about local First Nations culture is Lillian Hunt, Curator of Cultural Tourism Programs for the U'Mista Potlatch Collection. Lillian's good humour, candid insights and straight-shooting approach to a sometimes controversial subject are a treat for everyone.
The Finns Port McNeill's other cultural adventure involves a wholly different tribe, Finnish settlers who built the community of Sointula on Malcolm Island, a 25-minute ferry ride from Port McNeil. The Finns arrived in 1902 in search of Utopia. They settled for a foundry, brickyard, blacksmith shop, firehall, community centre, shops and homes. Then they threw in the towel and went home.
Sointula Community The sturdy survivors defined the community as it is today. Come tour the village, camera ready for colourfully painted houses, heritage sites, the oldest co-op store in BC and the works of contemporary painters and photographers. For more information on Aboriginal and cultural experiences around Port McNeill, drop in at the Visitor Centre at 1594 Beach Drive.
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