September 3, 2013

Laxgalts'ap, BC — Starting on September 4, 2013 the Nisga'a Museum will have new public visiting hours.

In an effort to meet the needs of visitors to the Pacific North-West region of British Columbia this fall the Nisga'a Museum is proud to provide access to the Ancestors’ Collection Wednesday through Sunday between the hours of 12 noon and 5 pm.  Guided tours through the museum will be provided every hour, on the hour with the last tour starting at 4 pm. These new public hours will be in effect beginning on September 4 and running until October 27, 2013.

“We at the Nisga’a Museum recognize what an important cultural and historical treasure that the Ancestors’ Collection is to the Nisga’a Nation, British Columbia and Canada. Providing access to the collection during non-peak tourist season is part of the museum’s new Accessibility Initiative. Removing barriers for visitors and Nisga’a citizens to engage with the Nation’s cultural heritage is of critical importance for the long-term stability and development of the institution,” notes museum director Darrin Martens.

The Nisga’a Museum’s fall and winter group and school tour hours are as follows: Monday through Friday, 10 am to 4 pm. Special arrangements for weekend tours can be arranged. All group tours must be booked in advance. To book a group or school tour please call 250. 633. 3050 and ask for Holly.

“Building cultural and visual arts literacy within our young people is part of the Nisga’a Museum’s renewed engagement strategy,” says Darrin Martens. “By providing access to the museum’s collection through interactive tours and hands-on visual arts projects, we hope to connect the past with the present and provide opportunities for engaging dialogue and ignite a creative spark within our youth.”

The Nisga’a Museum is also known as Hli Goothl Wilp-Adokshl Nisga’a, which means “The Heart of Nisga’a House Crests,” a name that acknowledges and celebrates the importance of the four tribes that make up the Nisga’a Nation. The museum displays and incorporates all the Nisga’a crests and the people they represent within its permanent exhibition, the Ancestors’ Collection – an assemblage of 300+ art objects and artifacts that were repatriated from the Canadian Museum of Civilization and Royal British Columbia Museum in 2000.

The Nisga’a Museum is operated by the Nisga’a Lisims Government in the village of Laxgalts’ap, 140 km north-west of Terrace along the Nisga’a Highway, within the Nisga’a Nation.

For more information, contact Darrin Martens, Museum Director - Tel (250) 633 3050, ext. 209 or email: darrinm@nisgaa.net.  Also check out the Museum website at www.nisgaamuseum.ca.