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MetroVanIndependent.com
June 2015
Culture
Celebrating Tecson Collection’s 28 years
at the Museum of Anthropology
Asian Heritage Month Society President Ken
McAteer and Vice-President Bev Nann graced the
event.
The Tecson Family: (from left) Greg Johnston, Natalie Johnston, Marisa Tecson Johnston, Miguel Tecson,
David Tecson and Bonnie Bedell.
By Emmy Buccat
Dr. Miguel Tecson vividly recalls his
travels thru many years as he speaks to
the more than a hundred people attending
the event to celebrate the 28 years of
his donations of anthropological and
archaeological objects to the Museum of
Anthropology (MOA) at the University of
British Columbia (UBC).
“I followed the famous Silk Road from
China to Europe. I went to Central Asia,
then a part of Soviet Russia. In exotic
named places like Tashkent, Bokhara and
Samarkand populated by Mongols and
Tartars.
It brought up images of Genghis Khan,
the Golden Horde, and Marco Polo on the
sea route.
Melissa Remulla-Briones emceed the program with
Vancouver-based journalist Mel Tobias.
I followed it from China thru Southeast
Asia, around India, towards Martaban,
Burma up the Persian Gulf to most of
Iran; then to Damascus in Syria, down
to the East Coast of Africa, in places like
Mombasa, Malindi, Gedi, and the beautiful
little island of Lamu, an Arabian trading
post to Asia for hundreds of years.” Tecson
said in his speech.
It is perhaps because of his love for
adventure, fascination to the things from
the past and finding joy in seeing those
familiar but nostalgic pieces that made
him and his wife, the late Julia Gonzalez
Tecson collect things since they moved to
Vancouver in 1970. Dr. Tecson had become
a licensed psychiatrist by then.
“I gained a little know-how, made other
contacts, acquired small resources but it
Photos by Angeli Buccat
was Julia who had the good eye so most
of what you would see in the museum were
her own selections,” Dr. Tecson said.
In 1987, the Tecsons donated to UBC
more than 350 pieces of artifacts including
pottery, ceramics and carvings. This single
biggest collection of artifacts from the
Philippines positioned MOA to become a
museum world of cultures.
Peppered with mixed reactions from
families and friends, Dr. Tecson remembers
questions he usually gets: where did you
get all these old stuff; how did you fit the
large “banga” in a “balikbayan” box; why
did you not sell them; why didn’t you give
it to me instead of giving it to UBC?
“We thought it would be nice to have a
study collection centered on the arts and
culture of the Philippines. We felt good
From Left: Retired UBC Professor Prod Laquian delivered the welcome remarks; followed by short
greetings from Vancouver Deputy Mayor Andrea Reimer and Philippine Consul General Neil Frank Ferrer.
Dr Miguel Tecson looked on.
The Rosario Strings performed a medley of songs
from around world.
having familiar pieces around us. Perhaps
we were just sentimental and nostalgic.
However, we thought that this is good
for the families from Philippines, for