TOTEM POLES AND MORE: Museum of Anthropology (MOA) at UBC, Vancouver, BC:

Great Hall, Museum of Anthropology, UBC, Vancouver, Canada.

A “must see” when you are visiting Vancouver, BC, Canada’s gateway to the Pacific, is the Museum of Anthropology on the campus of the University of British Columbia. Nowhere are there more totem poles and other artifacts of the Northern Pacific Coast indigenous cultures in one place.

There are 35 languages and many dialects in the Pacific Northwest. This exhibit shows the word for "paddle" in eleven different languages.

After walking down the center ramp of the museum to the Great Hall you find yourself in a large light-filled space filled with totem poles more than two stories high, giant carved figures, ceremonial objects and much more. 

Animal images carved and painted on a totem pole.

The enormous scale of the totem poles becomes obvious as you crane your neck to see the top. Only at eye level can you see the details of the paint and carving up close.

Totem poles and carved figures.

Through the tall windows the objects inside the museum appear to merge with the outdoor scenery.

Mask and ceremonial bowls.

In one exhibit, which at first glance seems to be a riding toy for children, is actually a series of ceremonial feast dishes. Such dishes were passed down from father to son.  Panels describe the tradition of the potlach, at which such vessels would be used. At a potlach, hereditary chiefs and their families displayed claims of certain rights and privileges in front of invited guests. They are feasted and paid gifts for accepting the host’s claims and remembering all that has happened at the event. It is an ancient ceremonial tradition. The potlach ceremony was outlawed in Canada from 1889 to 1951.

While the totem poles and other objects inside the museum are protected from the weather, other totem poles and examples of traditional log houses are exhibited outside. Informational panels explain how indigenous communities were decimated by diseases introduced by Europeans, causing them to abandon their villages. A drawing of one of these villages, made from information found in the village ruins, shows what it would have looked like when it was inhabited.

Drawing of reconstruction of abandoned village.

Painted figure.

Figures made of broken ceramic tiles and mirrors, by Sally Michener, 1994. in the Koerner European Ceramics Gallery.

Although most of the museum focuses on the cultures of the Northwest Coast indigenous people, there is more. In the Koerner European Ceramics Gallery, there is a surprising focus on the art of ceramic tile stoves--both artistic and useful! They are believed to have had their origin in the Alps in the 16th century..

Tiled  stove from Germany or Slovakia, ca 1560..

On the lower level of the museum are galleries filled with display cases crammed with smaller objects—baskets, masks, tools, clothing—both from Northwest Coast indigenous people, and from cultures around the world.

Traditional Northwest Coast masks are among the thousands of items displayed in the lower galleries.

Stick puppets from Asia.

But the main draw of the museum is the wealth of native American material, accompanied by excellent informational panels.

A visit to the Anthropology Museum is an opportunity to appreciate the richness of the indigenous cultures of the Pacific Northwest, which continue many of the traditions that have been practiced for centuries, as well as to see cultural objects from around the world. 

An excellent gift shop is on the entrance level of the museum, as well as a coffee shop with drinks and snacks. 

Pond, walking path, and totem pole behind the museum.