Collections & Research
The Collections
MOA houses some 38,000 ethnographic objects, as well as 535,000 archaeological objects under the care of UBC's Laboratory of Archaeology. The ethnographic materials derive from many parts of the world, including the South Pacific, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. There are approximately 6,000 objects from B.C's First Nations in MOA's collections; we also house 5,000 textiles from around the world, 3,500 coins, and 4,400 works on paper/made of paper. An additional 700 objects are at any one time on temporary exhibit at MOA, loaned to other institutions, undergoing conservation work, or under consideration by students and researchers.
| File | Download |
|---|---|
| Behind-the-Scenes Access | DOWNLOAD |
| Sources for BC First Nations Materials | DOWNLOAD |
| First Nations Map | DOWNLOAD |
| First Nations Language Map | DOWNLOAD |
| Application Form for Use of First Nations Maps | DOWNLOAD |
| Repatriation Guidelines | DOWNLOAD |
| Management of Culturally Sensitive Materials | DOWNLOAD |
| Filming Application | DOWNLOAD |
| Archives Photo Permission Form | DOWNLOAD |
| Photography Application | DOWNLOAD |
| Acquisitions Guidelines | DOWNLOAD |
| Guide - Borrowing by Originating Communities | DOWNLOAD |
| Guide - Borrowing Conditions for Institutions | DOWNLOAD |
The files above available for download require the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.
Latest News
Archives Receives Reginald Robinson Collection
Accompanying a recent donation of 22 objects to MOA’s collection was a small handful of black and white photographs taken by Reginald Robinson (1900-89) while stationed in Darwin, Australia during the Second World War. The photographs depict the Aboriginal people of the area. The image above shows an aboriginal man making a spear, much like the ones collected by Robinson in 1945 and generously donated to MOA by his family. The photographs, housed in the Audrey & Harry Hawthorn Library & Archives, provide valuable contextual information to the object collection.
New Website on Indigenous Canoes
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council recently granted MOA and The Historical Education Network $40,000 to create a website on Indigenous canoes. In the coming year, curator Jill Baird and project coordinator Damara Jacobs-Morris will work with educators, artists, cultural practitioners, and MOA staff to research, design, and implement the site, which will then be linked to both organizations.
The model canoe pictured here was donated to UBC by Frank Burnett, along with many other objects from the Pacific which eventually formed the founding collection of the Museum of Anthropology. The canoe and paddles are carved from wood, and the sail is made of woven basketry. (Dimensions: canoe: 51 x 27.2 x 51cm; paddles 28 x 3.5 x 1.3cm and 23.8 x 5 x 1cm). This and other canoes in MOA's collection will be featured on the new website.
Photo Credit: Reginald Robinson Collection, MOA Archives
