Photograph of former Canadian Governor General Roland Michener and his wife at an event in the Alert Bay, BC longhouse. The couple is standing at what appears to be the head table. Two children are at the table, shaking hands or exchanging gifts. Title based on annotations in the album that originally housed this print.

Photograph of an event in the Alert Bay longhouse. Though not pictured in this image, the former Canadian Governor General Roland Michener and his wife were in attendance. This image shows one end of the longhouse interior, with two thunderbird poles and additional carvings and paintings. The central fire is also visible.

Photograph of former Canadian Governor General Roland Michener and his wife at an event in the Alert Bay, BC longhouse. The couple is standing with others in ceremonial dress beneath two thunderbird poles. Title based on annotations in the album that originally housed this print.

Photograph of a dancer at an event in the Alert Bay, BC longhouse.

Photograph of former Canadian Governor General Roland Michener and two unidentified individuals, standing near two totem poles. The poles may be in the Namgis Burial Grounds.

Photograph of former Canadian Governor General Roland Michener and his wife at what appears to be the Namgis Burial Grounds in Alert Bay, BC. The poles were possibly made by Charlie James.

Photograph of former Canadian Governor General Roland Michener and his wife at an event in the Alert Bay, BC longhouse. Michener is standing and holding a carved pole. Title based on annotations in the album that originally housed this print.

The collection consists of nine large watercolour illustrative panels commissioned by the UBC Museum of Anthropology, eight of which were commissioned for the exhibit "The Four Seasons: Food Getting in British Columbia Prehistory," which ran from April to November 1979. The other watercolour is from an unidentified exhibit or sourcebook.

The collection also contains one painting that was commissioned by the museum for a publication (Museum Note, no.12, "Ninstints: World Heritage Site"), as well as a blueprint reproduction of a related drawing. These are renderings of how the houses and poles on a beach at the Ninstints village site might have looked when they were in use. The rendering is based on George MacDonald's map.

Collection consists of the following items:

001: The Four Seasons – Spring – Interior [1979?]
002: The Four Seasons – Spring – Coast [1979?]
003: The Four Seasons – Summer – Interior [1979?]
004: The Four Seasons – Summer – Coast [1979?]
005: The Four Seasons – Autumn – Interior [1979?]
006: The Four Seasons – Autumn – Coast [1979?]
007: The Four Seasons – Winter – Interior [1979?]
008: The Four Seasons – Winter – Coast [1979?]
009: Haida six beam house 1993
010: [Ninstints village painting] 1983
011: [Ninstints village, drawing for Museum Note] 1983

During their time living in Bella Bella, the Houstons took many photographs of the lives of the Heiltsuk First Nation community documenting the day-to-day lives of the Heiltsuk First Nation as well as ceremonial activities. The colour slides document the construction, painting, and launching of the Gi’wa, a Heiltsuk canoe which sailed with the Lootaas, the Haida canoe built by Bill Reid for Expo 86. Some of the slides document the welcome feast at Bella Bella in honour of the Haida crew of the Lootaas. The colour slides also document several potlatches and wedding feasts held in the community hall, and the local Sports Day parade. Slides also depict the role of the fishing in the community, such as smoking salmon and processing roe. Other photos document gravestones on a nearby cemetery island, derelict canneries, petroglyphs and pictographs, totem poles and house posts, all in or near Bella Bella.