The Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art is currently hosting an exhibition till March 19th, called “Keeping the Song Alive.” The guest curator, Cheryl ‘Ka’kaso’las Wadhams with the help of the Jewish Museum & Archives of BC share the work between an ethnomusicologist named Dr. Ida Halpern and the hereditary Chiefs Billy Assu and Mungo Martin of 1947. Dr. Halpern’s collaboration with the Chiefs to record the ceremonial music of the Pesa, otherwise known as the potlach, is a strong cultural tradition amongst the Kwakwaka’wakw peoples which allows them to tap into their culture, traditions and their history. The Keeping the Song Alive exhibition allows Kwakwaka’wakw artists and the members of their community to connect with their culture in a traditional form. It inspires the people by providing them with the knowledge of their culture and their cultural identity, which has been at the risk of being forgotten. Hence, the name of the exhibition is extremely relevant to the purpose of the exhibition.
The Bill Reid Gallery is Canada’s only public gallery that is dedicated to contemporary Indigenous Art of the Northwest Coast. It is a space where people can visit to find an appreciation for the custom and traditions of Indigenous peoples and experience some of these customs for themselves. This gallery possesses a rich historical atmosphere that can help people with inspiration and reconnection to Indigenous communities’ culture, customs and traditions.
Keeping the Song Alive is an exhibition where people can really understand the significance and spiritual power that music holds amongst the Kwakwaka’wakw peoples. One of the purposes that this exhibition fulfils is, the importance of preserving ceremonial art and culture for the future generations. Even people outside of the Kwakwaka’wakw community can benefit from attending this exhibition because exposes a culture that is genuinely unique in the best way possible. It provides people with the opportunity to educate themselves on cultural differences and the power that it gives people.