ANTHROPOLOGY MUSEUM IN VICTORIA

THIS MUSEUM WAS FOUNDED IN AND CONTAINS ONE OF THE BEST COLLECTIONS OF THE BEST COLLECTIONS OF NORTHWEST COAST PEOPLE'S BEST COLLECTION OF ART - TOTEM POLES, CANOES, AND FEAST DISHES. THEY ARE HOUSED IN A SPECTACULAR BUILDING OVERLOOKING THE INLET OF VICTORIA. MY FAMILY VISITED THIS MUSEUM IN THE SUMMER OF 2007. THEY HAD NUMEROUS TOTEM POLES OUTSIDE AND INSIDE. I REMEMBER THAT THE MUSEUM HAD A DARK EXHIBIT FROM TROBRIAND ISLANDS WITH THEIR ETCHED GREY STONES. THEY HAD A LARGE HALL WITH VARIOUS TOTEM POLES AND WOODEN CARVINGS OF THE KWAKIUTL ART IN A CEREMONIAL VILLAGE SETTING.

THEY HAVE 87,000 ARTIFACTS IN THEIR COLLECTIONS SOME OF WHICH ARE FROM AUSTRALIA, POLYNESIA, MELANESIA, AND AFRICA. THEY ALSO EXHIBIT MODERN NORTH COAST INDIAN ART WORK BY HAIDA ARTIST. THEY HAVE A MUSEUM STORE AS WELL. ONE ARTIST, BILL REID IS A HAIDA ARTIST.

THE MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA IS IN VANCOUVER ALSO. THEY HAVE MANY TOTEM POLES OUTSIDE THE MUSEUM. AS YOU ENTER THE GREAT HALL OF THIS MUSEUM THERE ARE LARGE CARVED CANOES, TOTEM POLE, HISTORIC FEAST DISHES, AND MODERN MASKS OF THE NORTHWEST COAST INDIANS - A TOTAL OF FIVE TRIBES. THIS MUSEUM IS ONE OF OVER 50 ATTRACTIONS. I REMEMBER TAKING PHOTOS OF MANY OF THESE COLLECTIONS. YOU ARE ALLOWED TO OPEN THE MANY DRAWERS OF ARTIFACTS - BEADS, JEWELRY, AND WOVEN BRACELETS FROM CLOTH. AS YOU GO OUT OF THE MUSEUM YOU SEE A REPRODUCTION OF A HAIDA HOUSE AND SEVERAL TOTEM POLES MADE BY THE FIRST NATIONS ARTISTS. IT HAS THE FIRST NATION'S LARGEST COLLECTION OF WORK BY HAIDA ARTIST, BILL REID.

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