Eagle and killer whale totem inside the Klemtu big house
Klemtu is one of the aboriginal villages in the Great Bear Rainforest. This is a detail of the eagle and killer whale totem inside the recently built big housee. The big house is used for ceremonial occasions such as traditional feasts and dances, celebrations and memorials. A button blanket can be seen draped over the bench. The Kitasoo tribe of the Tsimshian Nation and the Xai'xais Tribe of the Hjehjish Nation live together at Klemtu and share a joint government. Each of the four different kinship groups of Klemtu has a symbolic relationship with a totemic figure of an eagle, raven, wolf, or killer whale. The totemic figure is the archetypal symbol, animal or plant, of hereditary clan affiliations. People from the same clan have the same clan totem and are considered immediate family. The killer whale represents a traveler and guardian, and symbol of good, while the eagle represents great strength, leadership and prestige
Size: 3600px × 2400px
Location: Klemtu big house, Klemtu village, Swindle Island, mid-coastal British Columbia
Photo credit: © Terry Allen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: big, blanket, british, button, cedar, columbia, eagle, giant, hanging, hjehjish, house, interior, island, killer, kitasoo, klemtu, long, mid-coast, nation, raven, swindle, totem, traditional, tribe, tsimshian, whale, xaixais
