Whirled Travel: Ancient Man to Party Animal

Today we spend a thrilling afternoon at the UBC Museum of Anthropology. Their collection covers the seven continents, so where to begin? Wisely, we opt for two tours.

Our docent, Marilyn, speaks clearly and gives us excellent information. First correction to common assumption is that totems are not story boards, but are unique "family crests." Their meanings are private family business and not shared with outsiders. What the museum know about the totems in their collection has been shared with them byFirst Nation people.

We are also astounded to learn that these bentwood boxes, created to store important ceremonial treasures, like elaborate masks, were made from a single piece of cedar plank. The long plank was scored vertically in three places and then the wood soaked in hot water and slowly bent along the score lines into a box. The one side and bottom were carefully lashed together.

MOA has dozens of totems from different First Nation tribes. There are 34 different linguistic groups in BC alone. Marilyn tells us their languages can be as different from each other as English is from Chinese.

We learn about the Potlatch tradition banned by the Canadian government from 1880 to 1950. Wealthy Chiefs worked a lifetime to gain enough means to give a Potlatch: a party lasting days to weeks, including ceremonies, stories, dances and feasts. So many guests had to be fed that large serving containers were created in fanciful designs, like this alligator set. The giant wooden spoon that looks like a tongue was used by the Chief to distribute gifts of a valuable commodity, perhaps sugar, to the most important guests. Everyone received gifts, and by the end of the potlatch, the Chief might be bankrupt. As Marilyn points out, this is one way to redistribute wealth!

Ben recognized Nancy Drinkard on our second tour. Nancy was a Cal-Fire Unit Forester in Santa Cruz who retired in 2003. It was a great surprise for them to meet at the MOA in Vancouver.

Our tour ends gathered around this sculpture created from golden beech wood by famed local artist, Bill Reid. His mother kept secret from her children that she was a Haike Indian. Like most native children of her era, she was sent off to Indian Boarding School by the government and indoctrinated to be ashamed of her race and heritage. Bill fully embraced his lost culture (90% of Haike were wiped out by foreign diseases) and researched and learned the dying arts of his mother's people. This scupture tells the story of the creation of Man.

Party down! In the evening we head to the Shipyards Night Market - a vibrant event of food trucks, beer, music and family fun.

It takes some bold action by me and Hilda to score 4 chairs and a table in the crowded beer garden. The band plays raucous standards like Steely Dan to a happy crowd. We've all found something good to eat at various food trucks catering to all tastes.