Peter Livesay Macnair is a Canadian anthropologist. From 1965 until 1996 Macnair was the Curator of

Ethnology Ethnology (from the , meaning 'nation') is an academic field and discipline that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). Sci ...

at the

Royal British Columbia Museum The Royal British Columbia Museum (or Royal BC Museum), founded in 1886, is a history museum in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The "Royal" title was approved by Queen Elizabeth II and bestowed by Prince Philip in 1987, to coincide with a ...

. During this time he was responsible for ground-breaking work in museum

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

and the participation of aboriginal peoples in the creation of museum exhibits. Since his retirement from the

, Macnair has been as active as ever and has curated exhibits for the

Vancouver Art Gallery The Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) is an art museum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The museum occupies a adjacent to Robson Square in downtown Vancouver, making it the largest art museum in Western Canada by building size. Designed by Fr ...

, The

Art Gallery of Greater Victoria The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV) is an art museum located in Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Situated in Rockland, Greater Victoria, Rockland, Victoria, the museum occupies a building complex; made up of ...

and the

National Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...

Selected works

*''The Legacy: Tradition and Innovation in Northwest Coast Indian Art'' (1983) *''The Magic Leaves: A History of

Haida Haida may refer to: Haida people Many uses of the word derive from the name of an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. * Haida people, an Indigenous ethnic group of North America (Canada) ** Council of the Haida Nati ...

Argillite Argillite () is a fine-grained sedimentary rock composed predominantly of Friability, indurated clay particles. Argillaceous rocks are basically lithified muds and Pelagic sediment, oozes. They contain variable amounts of silt-sized particles. T ...

Carving'' (1984) *''Down from the Shimmering Sky: Masks of the Northwest Coast'' (1998) *''To the Totem Forests:

Emily Carr Emily Carr (December 13, 1871 – March 2, 1945) was a Canadian artist who was inspired by the monumental art and villages of the First Nations and the landscapes of British Columbia. She also was a vivid writer and chronicler of life in her sur ...

and Contemporaries Interpret Coastal Villages'' (1999) *''Listening to the Ancestors : The Art of Native Life in the Pacific Northwest'' (2005)

References

Emily Carr: To the Totem Forests

Douglas & McIntyre Publishers Inc.

BC BookWorld
Canadian anthropologists Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{Canada-academic-bio-stub