Museum of Anthropology at UBC

On February 26, 2020, our students went on a field trip to the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) at University of British Columbia. It was a great opportunity for our international students to see the collection of British Columbia First Nations and other cultural communities in British Columbia.

In the museum’ Great Hall, we were amazed at the massive First Nation totem poles, canoes and feast dishes. Most of the First nations objects originate from the Northwest coast of British Columbia. One major highlight of the First Nations collections is the iconic sculpture Raven and the First Men by the BC First Nations artist Bill Reid. The picture of this sculpture appears on the back of every Canadian $20 bill.

The museum’s Multiversity Galleries display thousands of artifacts from all over the world (Asia, America, South Pacific, Africa and Europe). Most items on display are from ancestors and relatives of local community members.

Other than the Museum’s permanent exhibitions, we also got the chance to visit the Playing with Fire: Ceramic of the Extraordinary, which features 11 BC ceramic artists. These artists push the boundaries of what ceramics are capable of. Individually, their ceramic artworks highlight issues on social injustice, racism and identity.