Gitanyow (Kitwancool) village and native art

Totem Poles near BC Highways 16 and 37

A personal travel view
 
Visit the NotSorry Index for page selection
Previous Page - BC Totems page Next Page - Totems: Kitwanga
Gitanyow First Nation is now the official designation for the former Kitwancool Reserve.
(I have also seen it spelled Kitwankool and even Gitwinhlgul).

Gitanyow is 20 KM north from Kitwanga and the southern end of BC Highway 37. The village is on a short side-trip loop. I arrived in the midst of heavy rain in June 2007. There was some flooding on the access road.
On first approach it is difficult to distinguish the totem poles from the electricity poles. They surround the new cultural centre situated on a high river bank. There is a small native cemetary to the east. If there were no totem poles this would be a typical Western Canada reserve.

Kitwancool access road Kitwancool centre Gitanyow totem museum Gitanyow graveyard Gitanyow grave marker Gitanyow home and mountains

But it does have some famous totempoles. In some cases the poles that we see now are copies of old poles that have collapsed into the earth. In other cases they are copies of totems sent to museums in Vancouver and Ottawa. In other instances they are the old original.

B.C. Government sign Gitanyow fallen poles
Gitanyow road first group Gitanyow totem detail Gitanyow totem detail Gitanyow totem detail Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow totem detail Gitanyow totem detail

Gitanyow road second group
Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow totem detail Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow totem detail Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow totem detail Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow totem detail Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow totem detail

Gitanyow road third group
Gitanyow totem with eagle Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow bear totem Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow totem with hole Gitanyow hole in totem Gitanyow totem detail Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow totem detail

Gitanyow back row group 1 Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow back row group 2 Gitanyow back row group 3 Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow back row totem 4 Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow back row totem 5 Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow back row totem 6 Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow back row totem 7 Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow totem detail
Gitanyow totem detail

Previous Page - BC Totems page Next Page - Totems: Kitwanga

Corrections, useful comments and opinions are always welcome.
The programming, written content and photos for this site were created by Gregory Melle.
Visit My Contact Page for email, feedback info and blog links.
The content of this web site -- including this page, all images and photos -- is Copyright © between 1996 and 2008 by Gregory Melle.
All publication rights are reserved but freely provided upon request.


Visit the NotSorry BookingWiz for Travel Deals and Daily Specials
A quick way to compare travel reservation web sites.
Kiva.org - I am a loaner
Gems of Hope CODE