Archives West Finding Aid

Ida Halpern (1910-1987) was an ethnomusicologist from Vancouver, Canada. Halpern became interested in musicology at age 19 after she lost the ability to play the piano professionally following a bout of rheumatic fever. In 1938, she earned a PhD in musicology from the University of Vienna. After moving back to Canada, she became the first woman in the country to hold a doctoral degree in musicology. Halpern is best known for her work collecting, recording, and transcribing the music of Indigenous communities along the coast of British Columbia.

Mungo Martin (1879-1962), also known as Nakapenkem, was a sculptor, conservator, painter, and musician from Fort Rupert, British Columbia. His parents were from the Kwakwaka'wakw Nation and his father, Yaxnukwelas, was a high-ranking member of the community. As a child, Martin learned the rituals, songs, arts, and traditions of the Kwakwaka'wakw people. During his lifetime, Martin carved and painted totem poles, masks, big houses, and various other ceremonial objects. Later in life, Martin was hired by museums in Canada for restoration and replica work for their collections of Indigenous artifacts.