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.

CANARY ISLANDS NATURE TOUR, Part 2: Guest Post by Susan Kean

 

View from the top of crater over to Las Palmas. Canary Islands.

My friend Susan Kean and her partner George recently toured the Canary Islands on a nature tour. I thank her for sharing her impressions and terrific photos with The Intrepid Tourist.

Today’s adventure in the Gran Canaria was learning about their indigenous people and checking out the main volcanic crater on the island. Relevant to today’s times, the Canary Island folks were very grateful to the CIA who gave them a heads up in 1971 about an impending earthquake. In those days Spain had no earthquake prediction systems and the CIA were in the Atlantic and observed some activity. This early warning helped save lives.

Cave. (Note tiny cars on lower right for scale.)

It is believed that the earliest people came to Gran Canaria in the 3rd Century. They were from North Africa, similar to the Berbers in Morocco. It is not known how they got there but they may have been brought by the Romans. 

Skeleton.

The early people came prepared--bringing seeds, animals, everything they needed for existence. They lived in caves, similar to those of some indigenous people in the North America.

We had a Tapas lunch in a cave restaurant. Our restaurant was in a cave dug into the hillside.

Center statue is a model of an indigenous statue found on a hillside.

The last day of our Nature Trek trip to Gran Canaria was spent near our hotel at Valley Agaete Necropolis where we learned how the indigenous people buried their dead in raised stone tombs because it was impossible to dig graves in the lava rock. This was during 7th to 11th century.

Stone tomb.

We also had a wonderful time wine tasting and lunch at Finca La Laja farm where they grow coffee, grapes, all kinds of citrus, bananas and every fruit you can think of--almost. The climate is a bit cooler than California and has more rain.

Winery at Finca La Laia.

Opuntia.

Opuntia (prickly pear cactus) was imported from America to grow the cochineal insect to produce red coloring. The cactus is everywhere now.

Feral cats.

Ferry approaching the pier in small harbor near our hotel. I found the lava cliffs coming down to the ocean spooky. 

Part 1 of Susan's trip to the Canary Islands posted last week, May 26, 2025. Part 3 will post next week, June 9, 2025.

ASIA MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, Taichung, Taiwan: Triangles and Flowers

At Asia University, on the outskirts of Taichung, Taiwan, is the new Asia Museum of Modern Art, a striking steel and concrete building designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Basing his design on an equilateral triangle, every part of the building reflects the triangle shape. During our recent trip to Taiwan, I was treated to a special tour of the museum.

On the lawn outside the glass and steel structure, Rodin’s Thinker greets visitors.

Inside the building, a model of the building's unique design can be seen in the lobby.

Model. The building is formed of three triangular floor plates, stacked as to provide a sheltered external patio at ground floor level, where open-air cafés and other areas of congregation are formed

Throughout the building the geometry is repeated with V-columns supporting the structural steel frame.

Support beams

The museum features rotating temporary exhibits, and at the time of my visit last fall, it was the Language of Flowers, a theme chosen to coordinate with the 2018 World Flora Exposition held in Taichung.

Painting of flowers by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama with her signature polka dots.

The museum's goal is to display works from young Taiwanese artists and other artists from Asia, providing a global stage for contemporary works. For this exhibit, each room of the museum displayed diverse works of art that employ flowers as motifs.

Detail of painting made over a sheet of gold leaf, which can be seen peeking through the foliage

Works on display ranged from paintings and drawings to sculpture and jewelry. 

Hands holding a rose

One whole room was devoted to the glittering jewelry of Taiwanese jewelry artist Aka Chen who “fuses oriental philosophy and crafting technology to eternalize beauty of natural objects with precious stones and breathe life into their presentation.” Flowers and butterflies are among his most popular subjects.

The entry panel to the Aka Chen room is designed to allow visitors to strike a pose and become one of his butterflies.

In another room of the museum, paintings and other objects reflected the bright colors and floral designs of the indigenous cultures of Taiwan.

Woman in traditional dress wearing a floral headdress

The Language of Flowers exhibit was truly a garden of delights. My photos show just a tiny sample of the beautiful and creative pieces that were part of it.
For information about visiting the Asia Museum of Modern Art and other sites in the Taichung area, click HERE.