THUNDERBIRD PARK
The Royal British Columbia Museum
VICTORIA

In June 2009 I visited Victoria, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island in Canada. One of the great attractions there is Thunderbird Park, situated next to the Royal British Columbia Museum. The park is home to many totem poles (mostly Gitxsan, Haida, and Kwakwaka'wakw) and other First Nation monuments. The park takes its name from the mythological Thunderbird of Indigenous North American cultures which is depicted on many totem poles.

The Mungo Martin House (Wawadit'la), a traditional Kwakwaka'wakw "big house" was built in 1953 by Kwakwaka'wakw Chief Mungo Martin. The park is part of the Royal BC Museum Cultural Precinct, an area around the museum that contains a number of historical sites and monuments.

Some useful links about the cultures of the Pacific Northwest

Kwakwaka'wakw mythology
Thunderbird mythology
The Thunderbird Symbol
Haida Indian Legends, Myths, and Stories
Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast

Stay tuned, I am not done - next few posts we go into the Museum (soon)
and also explore Downtown Victoria

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Attributions:

IMAGES provided by

Otto Rapp © Otto Rapp

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