This is a section of the Arthur Erickson designed Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver. To be clear, I didn’t know about the architect until just now when I looked him up. But if you’re like me, you’ll recognize his work in other major cities. He even has a blog on Tumblr. Say what?
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This is the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver
This makes me realize there are so many things I don’t know. It’s a revelation to learn that things I’ve regularly seen have something in common. Each one is so unusual that I’ve wondered about it, only to become aware of the threads when pointed out.
It makes me wonder how many other things have unseen associations. Intuitively I feel this must be the case on many levels; there are more associations in life than we will ever consciously know. For me, one of the little pleasures in life is the revelation that comes with seeing the bigger picture.
This is the back of Vancouver’s Museum of Anthropology. I was here last January walking along the coastal trail below this. It was only mid-afternoon yet the sun was already low on the horizon. Vancouver gets about eight hours of light in the winter, but of course the opposite is true during the summer, maybe twice as much.
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Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver BC
The museum is full of art, artifacts and history of the original people of the region. As a photographer I was surprised that cameras were allowed inside. You can take photos of anything in the museum. Oddly enough, I didn’t feel compelled to. As I stood in front of the huge carvings and totems I was somehow transported to another time and having a photo seemed, well, inappropriate. Maybe that sounds strange but I felt something to do with the history that could not be captured in an image.
I think we all carry the threads of connection to people and cultures throughout time. But of course we are unaware of it for the most part. When we come in contact with things from another culture it may spark a nascent memory or feeling. It defies logical explanation because it transcends time and space. So it was with me at the Museum of Anthropology. It doesn’t necessarily change who I am, it just makes me a little more connected to something else. That may sound like a strange thing to say, but, it is what it is, an enigma.
The coast of British Columbia is made up of islands, one after another, as far as the eye can see. I imagine this scene must have remained the same for the nine thousand years that the first nations inhabited this area. These were solely inhabited by indigenous tribes up until a couple centuries ago. I know this because when I took this picture I was standing on the grounds of the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver. The MoA is largely dedicated to preserving remnants from those people.
The MoA contains artifacts, writings and art from these cultures and I left there with a new sense respect. A good museum does that, takes us outside of ourselves and provides different perspectives we can use to understand the world. I think that whether I descend from these people or not, we inhabit the same space and share the same planet and based on that we are more alike than different. I know that’s a little bit cliche, but it helps me understand their story just a little bit, starting from what we have in common. It’s a stretch, but it’s a start. Regardless, I left feeling a little bit conflicted about the current state of things. A problem for another day perhaps.
The next day I was walking through a crowded park in the city. Along a trail by a pond was a young lady holding her right hand out. I thought that was a little odd so I continued looking as I approached. In fact she was holding out bird seed and feeding some small finches as they landed on her hand. She did not look at me as she remained perfectly still, hand outstretched. I smiled and walked on, not wanting to disturb her communion, but I did think that was an odd sight, not something I see everyday. Is it possible that centuries ago this might not have appeared so unusual, that it might have been as common as, say, sending a text message? I have no way of knowing, but it made me think that we moderns and those ancients are probably closer at the things that matter than we might know.
