Sinjin Dixon-Warren | Secretary NIFSS | December 19, 2024
This past summer I was camping with friends in Northern Vancouver Island and we were able to visit the U’Mista Cultural Society museum in Alert Bay. The museum has an impressive collection of indigenous masks, which were confiscated during a potlatch in 1922. The upcoming film. So Surreal: Behind the Masks to be presented on January 5th by the NIFSS tells the story of the confiscation of the masks, their distribution to museums and private collectors around the world, and their eventual return to Alert Bay. I am very much looking forward to seeing this film. I was moved by the story behind the museum’s collection. Alert Bay also has an impressive collection of totem poles near the town centre, plus we were able to see a carver actively working on a new pole. Anyone who travels to Northern Vancouver Island should take the time to visit Alert Bay and this important museum. We hope that many people in the Nanaimo area will take the time to see this important film.
