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Tuesday 23 February 2010

The Ya'ai


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File:Cupressus nootkatensis Mount Seymour.jpg




The ya'ai look like men
except for the tufts of feathers

that grow out their ears
they come paddling right up to you

in a supernatural canoe
their bodies are white and hairy

I am killing whales
because I got made strong

by the ten ya'ai
who stand outside my door




File:Petroglyphs at Sproat Lake Provincial Park.JPG





Nootka cypress (Cupressus nootkaensis) foliage, Mount Seymour Provincial Park, Vancouver: photo by Michael Scheltgen, 2006
Petroglyphs believed to have been made by the Hupacasath people, Sproat Lake Provincial Park, near Port Alberni, B.C.: photo by Kevstan, 2008

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