Reopening this summer after a two-year seismic retrofit, The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Colombia should be on your list of places to visit in the greater Vancouver, Canada area. No pun intended, but I could have been one of the first people to visit this homage to First Nations culture after its stunning remake.
As you walk through the doors, you first see the Great Hall. It is stunning with its window walls and collection of Pacific Northwest art. Wood totems, sculptures, and carvings have been carefully preserved. In fact, the Museum prides itself as an anthropological research and teaching center, and its walls hold material items from around the world — masks and clothing, ceramics (even a decorative box-shaped furnace that heated a house,) and other everyday items that people used for hunting, fishing, and living. One of my favorite collections to study were the Multiversity Galleries, which have cases and sliding drawers full of items that would have commonly been put in storage.
There is much to see and learn in the science of anthropology, and the Museum of Anthropology delivers on its promise to better understand people past and present.
Notes on the music in the video:
Song Title: “A Wedding (Proposal-Ceremony-Reception)”
This classical piece for orchestra was written to portray the steps to getting married. First, the anticipation and climbing expectations lead up to the Proposal (Yes!). Next, stages of planning. Then, a solemn and heartfelt Ceremony happens (the rings.) Finally, everybody celebrates at the Reception (much food, drink, and laughter ensue.) Marriage rituals have been performed through the centuries. I hope you get a kick out of this one!