Power of Giving on Display in Germany

A visitor walks behind an ancestor spirit mask (AP) 

GERMANY - The U’mista Cultural Centre in Alert Bay, British Columbia, Canada and the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden State Art Collections) in Dresden, Germany are collaborating on an exhibition project that will examine, compare and contrast the role of the gift as well as illustrate the gift-giving rituals and ceremonies within two very different cultures: the Kwakwaka‘wakw First Nation and the German aristocracy. “We have all experienced gift-giving. By exploring ceremonial gift-giving in the baroque Saxon court and the Kwakwaka’wakw Big House, this exhibition challenges us to look under the surface of this everyday human activity and think about how gift-giving is both a physical and symbolic exchange. Participating in this ground-breaking collaboration creates an exciting opportunity for us to share Kwakwaka’wakw culture with European audiences. [link]