Ninstints, Guardians of Haida Gwaii
BBC photo
Weathered and leaning,
the guardians stand,
testament to the first people
of the land.
the guardians stand,
testament to the first people
of the land.
There are spirits here.
One can feel the energy
of times long gone,
and, when the wind is blowing,
one can sometimes hear
One can feel the energy
of times long gone,
and, when the wind is blowing,
one can sometimes hear
the wailing
of an ancient people,
mourning
all that happened
here.
They lived here
when the earth was young,
laughing, happy
under the sun.
Their totems tell
their story.
When you step onto the sand,
walk with reverence,
and listen
to the voices
of the land.
Ninstints is a small island off the coast of Haida Gwaii. The ancient totems are guardians of the land, now uninhabited by humans, and protected. In 1981, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A friend visited there and when I said "you must have felt the energy there" she replied "I could hear it, too." She said she could hear wailing, the spirits mourning - the entire village was wiped out by smallpox after the white man passed through.
For Brendan's prompt at earthweal : A Map of History's Mysteries
Link: https://earthweal.com/2022/09/19/earthweal-weekly-challenge-historys-mysteries/
Beautiful Sherry - thank you for sharing this holy place. "Walk with Reverence" - this is our learning for sure. xx
ReplyDeleteIncredible, these mysterious guardians of lost history! Maybe all our human sound eventually becomes a murmur of the ground. (PS, are they stone or wood?)
ReplyDeleteWood, carved from trees. The ones pictured are a few hundred years old, battered by weather.
DeleteWhat an incredible place and such a sad history. I can imagine the sound. Some holy haunted places resonate deeply in the mind of the visitor. Suzanne - Mapping Uncertainty
ReplyDeleteAh, it must be peaceful there without human inhabitants. What interesting totems.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this place and the guardians that protect the land. I am sure one can hear the wailing songs of the ancestors.
ReplyDelete