A unique cross-cultural exhibition and exchange of artifacts from a small Kwakwaka'Wakw First Nations museum in Alert Bay, B.C. and a major international art and cultural museum in Dresden, Germany opened this month.
A stunning collection of 67 rare vessels, rattles, masks and other ceremonial objects will be on exhibition outside of Canada at the Dresden Royal Palace in Germany. The objects were seized in an historic early 20th century raid on a potlach at a time when such ceremonial gift giving was banned by federal law. The Kwakwaka'Wakw have spent decades recovering the works piece by piece.
In exchange, the Dresden state art collection in Germany sent over an extremely valuable collection of 61 exquisite treasures and gifts from the Saxon Courts. These rare and valuable items attest to the lavish celebrations of the historic Dresden courts.
Denbigh was hired to facilitate the exchange between the two museums. It was a project that took months of planning and preparation. Special, custom made acid-free boxes and carrying cases were prepared far in advance of the initial journey to the Umista Cultural Centre in Alert Bay on Vancouver Island.
When I found out about two months ago that my partner Ryan was one of the techs preparing for the trip to Alert Bay, I immediately wanted to jump on the bandwagon. A teacher of mine at Emily Carr University of Art and Design had lectured about the Umista Society a few weeks before and I was instantly intrigued by the history and location of this particular Kwakwaka'Wakw community. I couldn't pass up the serendipitous timing. The Denbigh team welcomed me on their trip across Vancouver Island and before I knew it, we were getting comfortable at the local lodging in Alert Bay B.C.
The museum staff were welcoming and gracious and made us all feel at home. Being on a tight time schedule, the Denbigh techs didn't waste any time getting right to work. They all put in long hours carefully packing up all of the fragile, precious artefacts. At the end of each day it was intriguing to hear the Denbigh boys talk about their work and the impressions the masks and other ceremonial objects had left with them.
While they were hard at work handling the priceless regalia, I was exploring the community and researching for a paper with a focus on the Kwak'Wakw potlach. Prior to the trip, my knowledge of the Kwakwaka'Wakw people and their history was quite insignificant, so I rejoiced in reading many of the books available in the museum library and learning about the local history first hand. I was kindly welcomed and accommodated. So much in fact that Juanita Pascal, the collection manager at the Umista Museum, agreed to let me interview her despite her busy schedule. Sara Holland, the executive director of the Mueuem was delightful to meet and also very informative. I was also very fortunate to have met Peggy, a town elder, and hear many of her childhood stories and adventures.
For the Kwakwaka'Wakw and other Northwest coast people, a potlach is a special kind of gathering of gift giving, story telling and performances.
"Gifts aren't just physical objects" Sara Holland said "They're also part of a symbolic exchange that speaks of your relationships, your position in society and your status."
Before we were about to embark on the journey from Alert Bay to Vancouver and ultimately on to Dresden, Germany, the museum held a farewell ceremony for the objects before they left to wish them a safe journey. Chief Bill Crammer said that by "sending the masks of our ancestors to Germany it's like sending our ancestors to tell their story".
It was a well planned, detail-oriented project and everything went off without a hitch. I left Alert Bay completely smitten and enlightened. It was a real pleasure to work with the Denbigh crew and get a chance to witness their work. I was also overwhelmed by the generosity of the Kwakwaka`wakw community and the sense of history that prevails there.
We shared many great moments and meals together. We shared lots of stories and laughed a lot. I think we all came away a little more empowered and enlightened with the "Power of Gift Giving".
