Echoes of Time: Indigenous Life and Culture Through the Ages
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Port
Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada
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Activity Level
Moderate
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Excursion Type
All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At
$69.95
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximately 1½ Hours
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Meals Included
Meals not included
Explore the important role of the feast and performance art of the Northwest Coast culture on this tour, combining a museum visit and a real-life feast performance.
Enjoy a short walk from the ship to the Museum of Northern British Columbia. Learn about the significance of the feast in a tour of the museum's galleries with knowledgeable museum guides. Discover ceremonial regalia worn by the chiefs -- beautifully carved headdresses, intricately designed and woven ceremonial robes, dance aprons transformed by their tinklers into musical instruments, and the famous raven rattles. See great feast dishes, spoons delicately carved out of mountain goat horn, and bent cedar boxes painted with complex chiefly designs to be filled with gifts for guests.
Then, enjoy a change of pace with a narrated slide show in the museum's media room. View exquisite images of the coastal landscape and see the intimate relationship between Northwest Coast peoples and their environment. Discover how they knew and understood their world and thrived in it for thousands of years.
Finally, everything you have discovered comes to life in a Tsimshian Longhouse, where you will be greeted as a guest in time-honored Northwest Coast tradition and formally seated. The Gwis'amiilgigohl Dancers, in full ceremonial regalia, will entertain and delight as they dramatize ancient stories told by the chief and brought to life with songs and mask dancing. Throughout these feast highlights, the chief will explain what you are witnessing, and after a parting gift and song, there will be an opportunity for questions and photos. Frequently described as one of the most authentic First Nations museum experiences, this trip will leave you with special memories and a new understanding of Northwest Coast culture.
Notes:
Participants will walk along a paved sidewalk approximately 800 feet with a mild-to-moderate uphill incline to the museum. Admission to the museum is applicable any time during your stay; its gift shop features collections of books, jewelry, gifts and local arts and crafts. The museum is only accessible to non-motorized wheelchairs; a courtesy wheelchair is available on site; guide and service animals are not permitted; however, staff are available to assist. Transportation to and from the museum and longhouse is on foot.