U'MISTA CULTURAL CENTRE

U'mista means "the return of something important". Indeed, the U'Mista Cultural Centre, very close to the Big House, collects artifacts specially created for the "potlatch", this system of exchange of gifts between First Nations peoples. In 1880, the Canadian government banned these events and confiscated the artifacts with the intention of "civilizing" the Kwagiulth tribe. In 1980, after changes in government and pressure from the Native tribes, the community recovered some of these objects.