Yuquot or Friendly Cove is inhabited by the Williams family and a few Coast Guard Lighthouse keepers. The Williams family are members of the Mowachaht band who are caretakers of the traditional site of the band. During the summer for ten days, there is a gathering of the band at this site.
This is a welcoming totem made to indicate that the community is now open for outsiders. The band recognizes that the government and non-first First Nations peoples want to hear and respect the Mowachaht and they in turn with to tell and show their past with others.
This church was built just before the government broke up the community and moved them to more populated areas for better assess to services. It is deconsecrated.
The Spanish government gave stained glass windows for this church to mark the 1774 meeting between the Spanish and Mowachaht peoples, the first meeting between the peoples of this coast and Europeans . The Spanish later set up an establishment here.
The Band asked the local Bishop for permission to place totem poles here out of mutual respect.
No comments:
Post a Comment