Hereditary Chief Harry Mountain

While I was researching my children’s family heritage at the University of British Columbia to my amazement I found over 80 art objects that originated from Village Island that were commissioned by Hereditary Chief Harry Mountain. He needed the art objects for the performers to wear during the obligatory grand feasts that he held before becoming a Chief. Finding Harry Mountain’s art objects is allowing his family to reconstruct cultural and family history. I began to find out who Harry Mountain and his family were, when and how the art objects were used, how many pieces he owned, how he could afford to accumulate so many art objects; the number of feasts he hosted; his main crest; which family members inherit the art objects, and so forth. In the end, I was able to find out why so many of his art objects were in museums - they were spirited away some time in 1952. The family members had no idea where and why Harry’s paraphanalia disappeared.