The mandate of the U’mista Cultural Society is to ensure the survival of all aspects of the cultural heritage of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw.
U’mista Cultural Centre is one of the longest-operating and most successful First Nations cultural facilities in BC, founded in 1980 as a ground breaking project to house potlatch artifacts which had been seized by government during an earlier period of cultural repression. The return of the potlatch artifacts not only provided U’mista’s name (‘the return of something important’), and sparked a general trend toward repatriation of First Nations and cultural artifacts, it led to the creation of a physical facility and human resources infrastructure which have been successfully operated for close to three decades.
U’mista now operates a modern museum and cultural education facility in Alert Bay. Their operations include the museum, an extensive art gallery and gift shop, group tours, and presentations by dance troupes. The facility hosts international scholars, and supports researchers in a range of disciplines.
Visit the U'mista Cultural Centre on the web at http://www.umista.ca.
The RRN contains 766 items from the U'mista Cultural Centre. Items from the U'mista Cultural Centre have been available on the RRN since launch. Since then, their items have been viewed on the RRN 5,162 times. Data from the U'mista Cultural Centre was last updated April 21, 2024.
You can contact the U'mista Cultural Centre about its collections or role in the following ways:
U’mista Cultural Society
1 Front Street
PO Box 253
Alert Bay, BC V0N 1A0
phone: 250-974-5403
email: [email protected]