Picture: The "Whale House" at Kasaan, an indigenous village on Prince of Wales Island.

Our yacht neighbors at Thorne Bay harbor, Larry and Susan, drove us to a native village called Kasaan. The village is committed to promoting, preserving and protecting the indigenous Haida native culture. It is located on the east coast of Prince of Wales Island about 20 miles from Thorne Bay and 59 miles from Hollis, the ferry terminal for the Island. Larry and Susan were enthusiastic about the village because they were volunteers for the opening of the restored Son-i-Hat Whale House, also known as the "Great House", just shortly before we arrived. A large crowd participated in the celebrations. The restoration project was funded by the National Park Services Historic Preservation Office and Kavilco, (Incorporated and Organized Village of Kasaan). These organizations drafted the plan and started work on the project in October, 2011 and completed it in 2016. Besides the "Whale House", they also restored eight totem poles in the vicinity. The purpose and goals were to preserve and protect the architectural form and physical structure as well as to practice traditional carving and house construction methods to pass on to future Haida generations.