Duff, Wilson (1925 - 1976)

Wilson Duff (1925-1976) attended the University of British Columbia and graduated with a B.A. in 1949 and later received an M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Washington in 1951. Duff was the curator of Anthropology at the B.C. Provincial Museum (1950-1965), and later an associate professor/professor of anthropology at UBC. He was also on the planning committee for the Vancouver Museum and a consultant to the study of the National Museum of Man in Ottawa. He served as the Vice President of the B.C. Museums Association from 1962-1963, and was later the President of the association from 1963-1965. Duff's publications made significant contributions to the study of First Nations cultures and to the development of museums around the province. Duff's other contributions to the First Nations communities include his membership in the provincial Indian Advisory Committee and he also acted as an unofficial advisor to several of the Indian organizations of the province. In particular, he held a role as the advisor to one band, the Kitwancool and also testified in the White and Bob case in Nanaimo, and the Nishga case related to land claim issues. Duff also conducted a great deal of work on the histories and territories of B.C. tribes and have especially detailed materials in the Tsimshian, Haida, Kwakiutl and Athapasha groups.