Michio Hoshino's Memorial Totem Pole

"Are  you Japanese? Do you know Michio Hoshino?" A native man came up to me at the place I was staying in Sitka. His name was Bob, he was a friend of the famous Japanese photographer Michio Hoshino.  Bob has appeared in Michio's books several times.  He told me that he had just come back from Japan after six months of working for Japanese indigenous rights in a small community of Japanese Natives on the North Island of Japan.  He was in Tokyo when the massive earthquake hit the northern part of Japan in March.  Michio and Bob shared many adventures together...  Bob's eyes were looking at the past  - memories of Michio. 

Michio Hoshino is a well known nature photographer who lived in Alaska for many years.  He traveled in the remote wilderness for extensive periods of time capturing amazing images, until he was killed by a bear in Russia.  Along with his photography, his beautiful writings were appeared on many magazines and books in Japan.  Since I first came to Alaska about 10 years ago, I have been reading his books.  As a nature photographer, I respect his works.

It was a heavy overcast day when I visited Michio's totem pole.  Walking through old growth rainforest, the trees opened up to the shore.  Following the trail along the rocky beach, I spotted the pole. Michio's totem pole faces the Pacific Ocean, the small island floating across the shore, the snow capped Mount Edgecumbe, reminds me Mount Fuji, rises on the far island... it was a beautiful location. 

The pole is a story of Michio's life - A glacier bear (blue bear, rare kind of gray colored black bear, Michio searched for years) sits on top, followed by a Caribou and a Whale (Michio's life work of subjects), a Raven (Michio followed the Native legend of the ravens the last few years of his life), and carved Michio holding a camera on the bottom.  Sitting on the shore for a while, I thought about his essays and photographs... it was a spiritual moment to me.  The pole was only 3 years old but it was already weathered and well matched with this old growth landscape.

The sun came out for a bit that afternoon.  I was photographing one of the historic buildings... when an old truck pulled over. "Hey, did you go see the Michio's pole?" It was Tommy Joseph, the master carver, who carved Michio's pole.  He also came and talked to me at the visitor center at Sitka Historical National Park the day before I visited Michio's pole.  It was strange that Michio's friend Bob, and now the carver Tommy Joseph, seemed to somehow know that I was there to visit Michio Hoshino's totem pole.

Sitka National Historic Park, Alaska

It was raining when I spent a whole day exploring Sitka National Historical Park.  As the park is located at sea level, it was a bit greener than the mountain trail I hiked the day before.  When it's wet, the green is brighter than ever.  It was still early spring; the red alder trees were still naked without leaves. 

Walking in the rainforest, I often hear the raven's song echoing from somewhere deep in the woods.  Weathered totem poles stood along the trail, which perfectly blended in the old growth woods. Walking in this rainforest was a spiritual... it somewhat reminds me of an old shrine in the deep forests in Japan.

The trail opened up to the coast.  Numerous small islands covered with trees are scattered around the Sitka Sounds... nobody around in this quiet little cove.

Sitka National Historic Park celebrated its 100th year anniversary in 2010.  It's the oldest National Park in Alaska.   Celebrating the Centennial Year, National Park Service commissioned the special totem pole with the master carver Tommy Joseph.  The totem pole represents Sitka and the surrounding area and the National Park Service.  It contains a buffalo (a symbol of the National Park Services), an old Russian marker plate, the native plants (skunk cabbage and devil's club), two salmons, and a spiritual woman's face.  Its light green and yellow colors are non-traditional for the totem pole.  The pole, almost finished, lays at the Park Visitor Center for the raising ceremony on May 15. Too bad I missed the pole raising by a week!

On my next posting, I'll write about  Michio Hoshino's totem pole, which is the memory of the famous Japanese photographer killed by a bear in 1996.

Sitka: "The Most Beautiful Southeast Alaskan Town"

 

The misty rain enveloped the passage between forest covered islands... It's typical weather in Southeast Alaska region: one of my most favorites area. The Alaska Marine Highway ferry from Juneau arrived to Sitka in the afternoon when my adventure began.

Sitka is located on Baranof Island, about 150 miles south from Juneau. Like other Southeast Alaskan towns, Sitka is surrounded with green moss covered rainforest, glacier carved waterways, and snow capped mountains in the back drop. "Alaska's the most beautiful town" how many times I heard about this... so I'm here to see.

Sitka also has the rich history. It was an old capital for Russian Alaska, and the capital of the territory of Alaska after the United States bought Alaska from Russia, until Juneau became the state capital in 1906. There are some old Russian buildings remains throughout the town. Tlingit Native cultures are still deeply rooted in Sitka: totem poles and Tlingit carvings are scattered over the town.

I was hiking through the rainforest to the alpine ridge, through the wet meadow to the rocky coast, all under the overcast sky and in a misty rain. It was early in the season, the greens starting to appear among the brown grass. There was still snow high up on the mountain trail.

After half a year of living in the interior Alaska, I'm back in the rainforest in Southeast Alaska...for a short while. Surrounded with moss drenched tall trees, the smell of the ocean, and the sound of raven songs... plus hilly old towns... I love the Southeast Alaska!

Here is the Sitka's natural landmark, Mount Edgecumbe; it reminds me Mount Fuji in Japan.

(This story continued to next posting...)