Hand of Man Museum - Maple Bay

 I'm a museum junkie.  Yup, I am.  Anytime I'm traveling, and see a museum sign, I'll stop in and take a look.   I love them all, from the little ones that are in the former front room of a house, with all of Aunt Edith or Uncle Frank's collections of oddities to the big, professionally curated ones.  

I'm not sure just when I started loving visiting museums, but have a suspicion that it started when I lived in Victoria and went to the Royal BC Provincial Museum almost weekly. Mostly, cause it was free back then, but also I just loved seeing the vignette displays they made up of life in early Victoria.   It fascinated me then, and fascinates me now.   I used to be fascinated by the shoes and buttonhooks,

and guess what, this museum has a great display of them,

along with many other Victorian era items, including a bunch of Christening dresses. 

I'd been told that I needed to go see the Hand of Man Museum in Maple Bay, (on Vancouver Island in British Columbia), and went, yeah, I will, I mean it's a museum.  I really can't in all honesty call this 'just a museum'.  Instead it's the most incredible collection of artifacts, from all over the world, with a big nod to Cultural Arts, Natural History and also Conservation, and is housed in an unassuming building which just so happens to be in the old Maple Bay school, which is perfect for this.  You are greeted with this pretty much life size reproduction of dinosaurs outside the building, along with 'the Rat Rod' (who were also in the local Duncan Days parade).

There are full size skeletons of Wooly Mammoths, along with a good selection of tusks on display,

 a full size skeleton of a Narwhale (this one hanging from a ceiling).

  I don't know how much more they can fit in here.  

The hallways and all the old classrooms are full to the brim, with artifacts, art, collections of pretty much anything you might want to see in a museum.   

This museum is the result of one man's (Jim Shockey)  interests, passion, almost single mindedness in collecting stuff, from the age of 10.  And I do mean stuff.   From a Siberian Wedding quilt, which has the most incredible beadwork, all done by candlelight. 

to butterflies,

to Toureg Camel saddle bags,

to well, you need to see it for yourself.  Picture taking is encouraged in just about the entire museum, with the exception of one display.   I wasn't prepared the first day I went there, and walked through it rather quickly (Only took me about 1 1/2 hours that time), and did not listen to all the audio available.

When you come into the museum, they give you an Ipad,  and in this one, Jim was talking with a man who was explaining his knife and spears to Jim.  He demonstrated how he would throw a spear or use the spear to impale a hyena.

However, the rest of the Ipad is loaded just about all the information you'd ever want to know about how Jim Shockey collected the various bits and pieces.  Just about all the exhibits in the museum have a number and you type in the corresponding number on the Ipad, and Jim himself tells you how and where he acquired an item or items.   

And yes, he is a big game hunter, and whether you agree or not with his way of life, it does not matter. He is also a very talented wildlife photographer and has taken almost every picture in the museum. He has the most incredible and varied collection of artifacts, collectibles I have ever seen anywhere. I've not yet been to the Smithsonian, but I bet this collection probably outdoes some of what they have.   
Did I mention that many exhibits are not carefully sealed under glass in hermetically sealed cases cause they're not?

 The textiles caught my eye, many of which are just hanging on the wall, carefully grouped, but just there. 

There are lots of signs asking you not to touch, and people seemed to respect that.   There is even one room where you are encouraged to touch some of the preserved pelts and furs. 

Which I did not do, but it is very educational for kids, I think.  

The second time I went (and yes I did go twice within a week), there was a group of children touring.  One little girl did not want to go down the hallway with all the masks, so if you have a little one who gets scared, you might want to prepare them in advance.

Here are a few more of the many pictures I took.    These are just a few of my own personal favorites.  This Seal Intestine Jacket was not only windproof, but also waterproof and was sown together with twisted grasses.   The fragility of this jacket, and the fact that it is on display, right out in the open, is amazing to me. 

A few more favorites, this coat is embroidered with dyed moose hair. 

Some of the exhibits are inside glass cases, but the majority of the exhibits are out in plain site. 

So many of the items on exhibit are from the desert regions of the world.  And to the top right of the above picture is a colorful fringe made of strings, that is used in tents to keep the sand from blowing in. 

I walked away with not only a great respect for the many artifacts on display but also an appreciation for what one man can do.  

Literally, the hand of one man, is responsible for much of the collection in the museum.  

If you're on Vancouver Island, in Duncan, B.C.  take an afternoon, and tour this incredible gem of a museum.  You won't be sorry.