City Of Vancouver Returns Culturally Sensitive Haida Belongings
The Museum of Vancouver hosted a cultural ceremony July 2 to mark the repatriation of wrongfully taken cultural belongings to Haida Gwaii.
The belongings include three monumental poles, two from the city's collection at the museum and another from the University of British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology, as well as pole fragments and other belongings.
The repatriation, a significant milestone, is part of the city's commitment to reconciliation and is happening in conjunction with the Haida Now exhibition through a partnership with the Haida Repatriation Committee, the Council of the Haida Nation, and the Haida Gwaii Museum.
Nika Collison, co-chair of the repatriation committee and executive director of the Haida Gwaii Museum, said it took some 20 years of knocking on doors at mainstream museums and more than $1 million in cash and in-kind contributions to bring home and rebury some 500 ancestors, a process that is almost complete.
"Now our nation is focusing on our belongings held in museums," she said. "How we found ourselves in this position, why we do this work, and where it is taking us all is a story that should be known and never be forgotten."
She said the process is based on mutual respect, cooperation and trust.
"We not only pursue the return of our relatives and treasures, we also seek positive relationships with museums," she said. "We want people to want to give our relatives back and see our treasures home."
The Museum of Vancouver acknowledged the belongings should have never been removed from Haida Gwaii.
"Our staff recognizes that we are caring for many belongings that should not be in a museum, because of their sacred nature or because they were taken under duress," said Sharon Fortney, the museum's curator of Indigenous collections and engagement.
Source: Museum of Vancouver
