Vancouver's treasure house
The mission of the Museum of Anthropology is to investigate, preserve, and present objects and expressions of human creativity in order to promote understanding of and respect for world cultures.
Museum of Anthropology,
The Museum of Anthropology is Vancouver's treasure house of collections from
around the world. As soon as you enter the museum, you are amazed and taken
aback by the enormous collections from the First Nations of coastal British
Columbia.
The Museum was first opened in 1976, and the building is situated on ancestral land of the Musqueam Nation. The architecture truly reflects the structures of the Northwest Coast First Nations.
The exhibits are both visually stunning, and provide wonderful insight into the
complex social and ceremonial life of British Columbia's First Nations.
Inside Learn something of the Potlatch - A ceremonial feast among certain First Nations peoples of the Northwest Pacific coast. The federal government outlawed potlatches in 1884, but the ceremony continued in many communities. In 1951 the law was deleted from the revised Indian Act it was called Java. Portuguese explorers called it café.
Current Exhibits ....
Wee-git Releases the Light;
From December 2005 through March 2006,
Haisla artist Lyle Wilson will be publicly carving an eight-foot tall yellow cedar sculpture in the Great Hall. Entitled ;Wee-git Releases the Light, the carving tells Lyle's version of an ancient story in which Wee-git (which means ;Great Man; in the Haisla language) brings light to the world.
Outdoor sculptures include two Haida Houses, and two beautiful Musqueam carved house-posts. A visitor never forgets the stunning Bill Reid sculpture known as "The Raven and the First Men"
If you have never visited this Vancouver treasure, you are definitely missing out on one of the best museums in the whole of
Canada. Set a day to visit this amazing sight that sits on your doorstep.
For more information visit the Museum's website at www.moa.ubc.ca
