Ainu singers Mayunkiki and Tomoe Yahata from Hokkaidō share the stage with Haida singer Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson to perform an evening of remarkable music. They’ll be joined by Terri-Lynn’s band members: Bill Henderson, Claire Lawrence, Jodi Proznick, Saffron Henderson and Camille Henderson.

The Ainu peoples are Indigenous to the Hokkaidō island of Japan and the Sakhalin and Kuril Islands of Russia.

This event is organized in conjunction with the Hokkaidō 150: Settler Colonialism and Indigeneity in Modern Japan and Beyond workshop by the Centre for Japanese Research at UBC to mark the 150th anniversary of the 1869 incorporation of the island of Hokkaidō, or Ainu Moshir.

Hokkaidō 150 is made possible through the generous financial support of the Consulate-General of Japan in Vancouver and the Japan Foundation, Toronto; the Centre for Japanese Research, the Department of History, the Faculty of Arts, the Department of Asian Studies and the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia; and the David Lam Centre for International Communication at Simon Fraser University.

Photo credit: Hiroshi Ikeda

MOA’s Lévi-Strauss Lectures invite visiting scholars to present their research concerning structural or symbolic anthropology, mythology, visual or performative culture, or critical museology.

Moving Performances—manikay in America

In 1983 at a roundtable at the Festival d’Automne in Paris, Claude Lévi-Strauss asked the leaders of two groups of Aboriginal singers and dancers from Australia about their experiences performing in a different cultural context so far from home. At the heart of his question lies a concern for the fragility of local worlds confronted by global processes.

In this lecture, Howard Morphy explores Lévi-Strauss’s questions again, focusing on the performances of one of the groups—the Yolngu dancers from Yirrkala who performed their manikay (songs with accompanying dances) in America.

Morphy looks at different contexts for the performance of some manikay themes, from ceremonial spaces in Arnhem Land in Australia to public arenas in America. Each performance is an instance of a process of engagement, through song and dance, to connect people to natural, social and spiritual environments in a symbolic universe.

The manikay represent a body of knowledge and way of being in the world that, while dynamic and resilient, is threatened to be subsumed by global forces.

Howard Morphy is an Emeritus Professor in the Research School of Humanities and the Arts at The Australian National University and Head of the Centre for Digital Humanities Research. He is an anthropologist with a particular focus on art, museums and visual anthropology who has undertaken research with the Yolngu people over a period of 40 years.

Marking the Infinite marks the first exhibition of all-women artists at MOA, and closes on March 31. This breathtaking exhibition features works by nine Aboriginal women, celebrated artists and community leaders from remote regions of Australia. The guided tour will give visitors the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge of the unforgettable works of these revered artists.

March 8 | 1 pm + 3:30 pm

(Please note: Tours scheduled for March 9 at 1 pm and 3:30 pm are cancelled due to illness.)

Bring your friends and dancing shoes for this fantastic line-up of local women musicians who will wow you with jazz, funk-soul and hip hop. The artists of this blow-out night, who hail from all over the world, bring diverse traditions and inspirations to create vibrant, inclusive artistic communities right here in Vancouver.

The night features a powerhouse lineup of incredible women artists, activists and community builders: jazz trio Fines Triddum featuring multi-instrumentalist Feven Kidane, jazz drummer KeAloha Noelani and jazz pianist Suin Park; Old Soul Rebel featuring Lola Whyte on vocals and electric banjo and Chelsea Johnson on vocals and electric guitar; rapper Missy D; emcee Kimmortal; hip hop, spoken word, beat-box artist and cultural dancer JB the First Lady (Nuxalk/Onondaga); plus a street-dance performance produced by the emcee for the evening, Char Loro of ShapeShifterStudio with Kosi, Momo, Leah McFly and Marisa Gold —in the styles of breaking, hip-hop, house, contemporary, waacking and spoken word poetry.

International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

This edition of Sound House kicks off Turn It Up & Disrupt (https://www.arts.ubc.ca/artsandculture/arts-and-culture-events/turn-it-up-and-disrupt/), a three-day International Women’s Day festival at UBC to inspire, educate and mobilize our community to creatively tackle gender-based inequities, and bring about positive change.

March 7
Doors open| 7 pm
Performances | 7:30 pm

Offered for the first time in North America, this workshop is taught by Lynnette Griffiths and Florence Gutchen, artists from the island of Erub in the Torres Strait, Australia. They are a part of a local community of artists who create “ghost net” sculptures to draw attention to the problem of ocean pollution and of the marine animals harmed by it.

These two artists helped create the large-scale “ghost net” turtle and shark currently on display in MOA’s Multiversity Galleries. Florence says, “A beautiful piece of art declaring the message that we must keep the water clean: we look after the sea and the sea looks after us.” Don’t miss out on this unique hands-on learning experience.

Workshop fee includes museum admission and all materials

Learn more about this fascinating side of Vancouver’s past at the book launch of MOA’s latest publication, Divine Threads: The Visual and Material Culture of Cantonese Opera. The stories are woven into the world’s most comprehensive and well-preserved collection of Cantonese opera treasures held in MOA’s permanent collection.

Come early to watch a live demonstration of traditional make-up and costuming practices, and opera singing presented by Vancouver Cantonese Opera’s star performer and artistic director, Rosa Cheng. Light refreshments and an interactive pop-up exhibit of the emperor’s court will be on view for this special book launch event.

Divine Threads is available for sale at the MOA Shop.

《 粵劇的視覺文化和戲服道具歷史》新書發佈會

歡迎參加在人類學博物館舉行的《 粵劇的視覺文化和戲服道具歷史》新書發佈會。美術史家作者劉詩源將在發佈會上介紹二十世紀初粵劇團體到世界各地的演出、以及溫哥華華埠成為戲劇活動中心的故事。發佈會會有粵劇的傳統化妝和戲服演示。粵劇表演明星、溫哥華燕鳳鳴粵劇團創辦人應國鳳將登台演出。發佈會活動的語言是英文。

Marking the Infinite made its Canadian premiere on November 1 and marks the first exhibition of all-women artists at MOA. This breathtaking exhibition features works by nine Aboriginal women, celebrated artists and community leaders from remote regions of Australia. The guided tour will give visitors the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge of the unforgettable works of these revered artists.

FREE with museum admission

It’s a day of museum fun for the whole family at MOA, where kids and youth can take part and take the lead! Enjoy tours and discussion panels led by youth; get grooving with music and movement workshops, and learn about conservation with hands-on activities. Discover fun activities throughout the Museum all afternoon!

The event is open to youth of all ages. Kids under 12 should be accompanied by an adult. The event is free with museum admission, or with the Kids Take Over UBC all-access family pass.

Plus, there’s many more family activities at Kids Take Over UBC, happening all across the UBC campus. Click here to find out more.

Event Schedule at MOA

12 – 3 pm
Kids Conservation Lab: A drop-in workshop where kids can participate in one of the three activities—a penny polishing station, a paper repair station and a rudimentary ceramic repair station, that will give them first-hand experience with behind-the-scenes museum conservation work.

1:30 – 2 pm
Art and Activism Tour by members of MOA’s Native Youth Program: a new 30-minute tour that explores objects of Art and Activism in the Multiversity Galleries (MVG) from an Indigenous and youth perspective.

2 – 3 pm
Kids Speak: Youth tackle meaningful questions and share thoughts about what excites them and concerns them about the world.

3 – 5 pm
Gamelan Bike Bike and Kecak: Hands-on free play sessions with gamelan (Balinese percussion) and kecak (Balinese dance and rhythmic chant).

From folk to funk, hip hop to jazz, Sound House is a celebration of culture and music, set against a stunning backdrop of Northwest Coast art and architecture. Enjoy genre-bending performances in a setting unlike any other—inside the Haida House, overlooking ocean and forest. Gather around the toasty bonfire outside with friends, and let the picturesque views and scent of cedar inhabit your senses. Sound House delivers surprises and delights on the first Thursday of each month. Book your calendars for February 7, March 7, April 4 and May 2.

Sound House kicks off with Afro-Cuban beats that’ll get you grooving into the night. Experience the high-octane music of two Vancouver Afro-Cuban bands at the top for their game. Kutapira is a five-piece percussion ensemble that blends hypnotic rhythms with folk and pop melodies from Zimbabwe and West Africa. The night rounds out with the brassy sounds of Camaro 67, a 10-piece band that will blow you away with their high-energy funk.

Doors | 7 pm
Performances | 7:30 pm

Tickets: $10 (includes museum admission)