U'mista Cultural Society
#1 Front Street. PO Box 253 V0N 1A0 Alert Bay, BC, Canada

U'mista Cultural Centre is open between 10-4 Monday-Saturday from now to December 24. Come check out our new selection of products for all ages! We have a green and red light hanging in the front window to let you know if you can come in. Red light means we have customers and to please wait until they exit. Green light means you may enter. Help us keep everyone safe by wearing a mask, giving each other six feet of space, and sanitizing your hands when you enter. Thank you for supporting your local registered charity. Gilakas'la

Good afternoon everyone U'mista Cultural Centre is open between 10-4 Monday-Saturday from now to December 24. Come check out our new selection of products for all ages! We have a green and red light hanging in the front window to let you know if you can come in. Red light means we have customers and to please wait until they exit. Green light means you may enter. ... Help us keep everyone safe by wearing a mask, giving each other six feet of space, and sanitizing your hands when you enter. Thank you for supporting your local registered charity. Gilakas'la

FILM FESTIVAL FRIDAY IS CANCELLED THIS WEEK SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE

SALE ENDING TODAY AT MIDNIGHT! Buy any native art and get 40% off! Please help us honour the Native Arts Community by buying authentic, locally-made artwork - carvings, jewelry, and crafts. ... Each sale allows U’mista to buy more art from these very talented artists during the Winter. Celebrate our 40th Anniversary and save with our promo code: 40THBLACKFRIDAY or by clicking the link to activate the coupon: https://www.umista.ca/discount/40THBLACKFRIDAY Gilakas’la!

Gilakas’la North Shore News for mentioning us in your article about supporting Indigenous businesses across B.C. during this holiday. Also, gilakas’la Indigenous Tourism BC for including us in your Indigenous Art, Online Shopping, and Responsible Wishlists webpage! With the current travel restrictions in place, Indigenous Tourism BC wanted to support businesses and encourage shoppers to support the Indigenous tourism economy in a safe, healthy way, Samantha Rullin, ITBC stakeholder and marketing coordinator, said.

Mark your calendars we are hosting another Kwakwala with our Elders, November 20, 2020, from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm If you're interested in learning Kwakwala don't forget to download Zoom to join our socially distant Kwakwala class this Friday!

ilakas'la (Welcome) o'yanx (December)! Check out our online Gift Shop and receive 40% off ALL Native Art until December 4th. Link: Umista.ca/collections/native-art Use Promo Code: 40THBLACKFRIDAY... #IndigenousBC #shoplocal #shopresponsible #IndigenousCanada #pacificnorthwest #Indigenousbclocal

Our 40th Anniversary is inching closer and with the number of COVID-19 cases in BC rising at an alarming rate we have made the decision to host our exhibit opening as an online event ONLY. We want to stress to our members living outside of Alert Bay to refrain from travelling to attend our exhibit. You can enjoy the event from the safety of your own home. We will be streaming online via Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Make sure to hit "GOING" to stay up to date!... STAY SAFE EVERYONE #umistaturns40 #COVID19 #bctourism #indigenoustourism #IndigenousBC #staysafe #stayhome #IslandCOMEBACK #northisland #virtual #livestreaming

U'mista's now on Youtube! Subscribe to keep up to date with video's and live streams https://youtu.be/_YhjgaLemYU

To book a time to shop please call (250)-974-5403 Gilakas'la for choosing to shop local This will be starting Monday, November 30th, 2020

UPDATE: Film Festival Friday is cancelled this week due to new COVID-19 restrictions This week Film Festival Friday we will be screening Mungo Martin: A Slender Thread/ The Legacy directed by the late Barb Cranmer, at 12 pm and 2 pm Due to Covid-19 restrictions, we will have limited space we are allowing up to 6 people to watch the film at a time unless you are in your personal bubble of people that has more than 6 people. ... There will be pre-packaged popcorn

Have you explored our virtual museum? Head to the link below where you can even explore a virtual tour of our potlatch gallery

We now have our very own U'mista Gift Cards! Giving: the Highest Form of Wealth Perfect gifts for loved ones! Comes in: $10, $25, $50, $100 amounts. Contact us if you need a larger denomination.... You can use these cards in store and online. https://www.umista.ca//gift-cer/products/u-mista-gift-card @HelloBC #ExploreBC @TourismVancouverIsland #ExploreVancouverIsland @VancouverIslandNorth #GoNorthIsland @IndigenousTourismBC #IndigenousBC @DestinationIndigenous #DestinationIndigenous @ExploreCanada #ExploreCanada

We now have our own masks! We are very happy to announce our new 40th anniversary Sunman face mask are now available in store and online!! https://www.umista.ca//clo/products/sunman-cotton-facemask... @HelloBC #ExploreBC @TourismVancouverIsland #ExploreVancouverIsland @VancouverIslandNorth #GoNorthIsland @IndigenousTourismBC #IndigenousBC @DestinationIndigenous #DestinationIndigenous @ExploreCanada #ExploreCanada

This Model Canoe is one of the pieces in our 40th Anniversary Exhibit The Model Canoe was made by Mungo Martin and Gifted to the U'mista in 1994 by Duncan Sutter Comprised of a canoe with two hunters and three seals perched on a rock (not in frame) with moveable arms and detachable spears and paddles. We will be posting more pictures and videos of the exhibit soon ... Subscribe to our Youtube channel to be updated on video tours and more! See more

Free stuff outside U'mista! Please come grab it!

This week Film Festival Friday we will be screening Box of Treasures, at 12 pm and 2 pm Due to Covid-19 restrictions, we will have limited space we are allowing up to 6 people to watch the film at a time unless you are in your personal bubble of people that has more than 6 people. There will be pre-packaged popcorn

We have started to take down The Story Box exhibit to make way for our 40th Anniversary Exhibit. It is very strange to see the second gallery empty, but we are very excited for you to see the new exhibit commemorating U'mista's 40 years

This week we began tearing down and saying goodbye to our Boaz and Hunt exhibit to make way for our 40th Anniversary exhibit. Stay tuned...

We are very excited for the return of our Kwakwala with our Elders! Mark your calendars October 23, 2020 at 1:00pm - 3:00pm If you're interested in learning Kwakwala don't forger to download Zoom to join our socially distant class

This year marks the 40th Anniversary of the opening of the U'mista Cultural Centre! Help us celebrate with a commemorative t-shirt with a ruby red 40th anniversary stamp on it! Buy more than 2 and get 20% off! Come in and check it out or checkout our online store https://www.umista.ca//pr/umista-40th-anniversary-t-shirts @HelloBC #ExploreBC ... @TourismVancouverIsland #ExploreVancouverIsland @VancouverIslandNorth #GoNorthIsland @IndigenousTourismBC #IndigenousBC @DestinationIndigenous #DestinationIndigenous @ExploreCanada #ExploreCanada See more

Demolition of St. Michael’s Residential School in 2015 On February 18, 2015. Survivors and community members gathered for a ceremony to witness its demolition. They sang, prayed and hurled rocks at the decrepit structure as the bulldozers did their work. Also pictured is the St. Michael's school bell, and precious items and toys that were stashed in the walls of the school by children, found during demolition. The St. Michael's Residential School in Alert Bay operated from 1929-1975.

E. Beverly Brown was taken from her family home in Bella Bella/ Kitasoo in 1937 when she was seven years old and sent to St. Michael's Indian Residential School in Alert Bay. Her father had given her a Kodak camera and during her eight years at the school, Beverly and her friends took photographs of their lives at St. Mike’s. These are the only known photos in Canada that were taken by students in residential schools themselves. These photos give voice to students who were often silenced or made invisible. They are a testament to the strength and courage of the boys and girls who attended St. Mike’s and whose friendships became lifelines for one another. The individuals in the photographs have been identified where possible to acknowledge their identity and community.

It's important to remember on a day like today that "Engaging with Indian Residential School histories and legacies can lead to emotional reactions and (unexpectedly) difficult thoughts and feelings. Sometimes these can surface hours, days, or weeks later. This is perfectly normal. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, it is important to respect your needs and to be kind to yourself. " Check out the Indigenous Residental School History and Dialogue Centre's list of resources for healing and wellness. https://irshdc.ubc.ca/for-s/healing-and-wellness-resources/

Are you wearing your orange shirt today? For those of you that don't know: " Since 2013, each year on September 30th, we wear orange to honour the Residential School Survivors. We honour their experiences and the experiences of their families. Orange Shirt Day is an opportunity for First Nations, local governments, schools and communities to all come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for future generations of children." The quote is taken from The Orange Shir...t Story by Phyllis Webstad. #orangeshirtday #everychildmatters #wearyourorangeshirt #September302020 #resilience #residentialschoolsurvivors

September 30th is #OrangeShirtDay It is the day we honour Residential School Survivors The U'mista Cultural Centre will be selling shirts by Kwiaahwah Jones. Please remember to wear a Orange shirt on September 30th to show your support to residential school survivors. #everychildmatters

UPDATE: as of September 21st, 2020 Masks are now required here at the U'mista Cultural Centre Gilakas'la for understanding

Free sisiyu’ box here at the U’mista Come and take it to a new home!