Kwagiulth canoe

a wonderful surprise card was send by a kind Postcrosser who I trade with occasionally...she visited the Royal BC Museum while on vacation to Vancouver Island and really enjoyed an exhibit of native languages. She sent this card to share her experience...it appears to be a still from the Curtis film "In the Land of the Headhunters" (later renamed "In the Land of the War Canoes").

the card text: This 60 foot ceremonial Kwagiulth canoe carries the groom and his family towards the beach to meet his bride and her family. Kolus is at the head of the canoe, the groom at the rear. The character carved on the side of the canoe is Nax wax daxw also known as the sea eagle. Photograph by Edward S. Curtis in 1914.

Pow Wow

a friend in Montreal sent a card showing young dancers at a pow wow....the original Algonquian word pau wau, translated to mean a healing activity in which holy men danced in sacred ceremonies. Today its a social activity but participants still dance to honor the ancestors and to thank elders.

Happy New Year Ben and merci for the nice card!

British Columbia, Canada

I was very lucky to exchange cards with a Postcrosser from Canada who lives in British Columbia, home of the Haida nation. Northwest Coast native people have a rich tradition of wood carving that included their homes, furniture, bowls, boxes and several kinds of poles that honored ancestors as well as personal achievements. Many of those old poles were placed in Stanley Park and some remain at Native village sites. Here are 2 wonderful cards from Val

Stanley Park poles

I purchased this card in a Canadian post office in Saskatoon. The carved poles, located in Stanley Park in British Columbia, are a common image for cards depicting Canadian Northwest Coast First Nations culture.

Wanuskewin

this card celebrates the Wanuskewin Heritage Park near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. I visited the site recently and had a fantastic walking tour with the park's archaeologist. Indigenous peoples used this area for hunting and camping over thousands of years and continue to hold events and ceremonies at the park today. There is a wonderful interpretive center with includes 2 art galleries, gift shop and meeting rooms.

Ksan Village, British Columbia

Laura (stampraider) sends 2 very nice cards showing a reconstructed NW Coast village with large clan houses and carved family crest poles located in Hazelton, British Columbia. The Ksan historical village and museum has a nice website: http://www.ksan.org/
arts & crafts are produced on site and they offer native refreshments...wonder if any dances are held there, would be a great location!

Laura's envelope included lots of great stamps celebrating Canada's First Nations, very nice!!

NW Canada

Postcrosser Kirsten went on holiday traveling across western Canada; before she left I asked her to look for some First Nations cards. These are very nice!

Poles carved from red cedar were purchased in the 1920s but were moved in the early 1960s and placed in Stanley Park, located in the province of British Columbia.

these carved poles are located on the grounds of a suspension bridge

and a 1914 Edward S. Curtis photograph shows a dance mask with a lovely Chilikat blanket. These blankets are yellow and black in color, made from Mt. goat wool & finely shredded cedar bark and were worn at important ceremonial events to display their owner's wealth.

Canada's First Nations

this card celebrates some of the diversity of Canada's indigenous peoples, represented by coastal wood carvings, prairie/plains tipis used by Blackfeet & Sarsi, and modern cultural expressions such as the pow-wow held annually in Toronto. The attached postage stamp features a cowboy's silver belt buckle, celebrating the Calgary Stampede. Thanks to Postcrosser cj23 for adding a fun card to my Canada collection!

Nitzitapi (Blackfoot)

Today's card was sent by an archaeologist in Canada and features a photo from the well known Glenbow Archives. Here 2 men of the Blackfeet nation conduct a ceremony on the prairie. Laura has a nice blog of her own featuring archaeology in First Day Covers, stamps and postcards...she sent this with stamps celebrating Inuit culture. She lives in an area rich in native culture, art and tourism so I look forward to more cards from her and continued conversations about our shared interests in anthropology!

View Laura's blog at:
http://stampraider.blogspot.com/