Tillicum Village

This morning, Nick and I joined David (along with some of this family) for a trip to Tillicum Village on Blake Island. However, when we first arrived at the pier we had about an hour left before boarding and took the time to explore some of the shops.

Nick and a giant otter!

David and a kinda silly animal hat :)

When at last it was time to board, we found nice seats on the ferry and enjoyed a nice scenic trip to Blake Island, accompanied by some information regarding the area and the Native American tribes. Upon arriving, we were served steamed clams (none for me, though) and headed into the longhouse for lunch.

Our salmon being prepared in the lobby.

After the meal, we were treated to a new (but authentic) show. It was not the best performance I have seen, since it took advantage of a projection screen for a lot of it. However, the dancers in the wooden masks were extremely impressive. The masks weighed somewhere along the lines of 45 to 55 pounds! After the performance I spoke with one of the performers to ask about what it was like to work with the masks. He told me that in the case of the longer one (seen below), he spent 2 weeks practicing with it! Not to mention that they are just exhausting costumes in which to perform!

This mask weighs about 45 pounds.

This mask weighs about 55 pounds.

After the performance, we had about an hour of free time on Blake Island in which to explore and enjoy the fairly nice weather. So, we started out by taking a nice (short) walk along a wooded trail, before returning to the longhouse and the nearby harbor.

Red Elderberries

The conclusion of the trip consisted of the ferry ride back to Seattle. At this point, the sun had really broken out so we had a wonderful cruise back on the front deck accompanied by a beautiful view of the city skyline.