Winter 2018
INDIGENOUS ROYAL BC MUSEUM NEWS A MESSAGE FROM LUCY BELL
HEAD OF FIRST NATIONS AND REPATRIATION PROGRAM DEPARTMENT ROYAL BC MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES Singaay ’laas dii tawlang! Good day, my friends! Since our first newsletter in the fall of 2017, our First Nations and Repatriation department has grown from a team of eight to a team of twelve, which has enabled us to expand upon the work we are doing within the repatriation process and to better respond to the direction that was given at the Repatriation Symposium. We are pleased to welcome: Lou-ann Neel, Repatriation Specialist Brooke Albers, Audiovisual Collections Manager Geena Wilson, Data Technician Pam Rutley, Database Technician, Audio Collections In the past year, we have also made other big changes. First of all, I am proud to say that our Indigenous Collections and Repatriation Policy has been updated. One important change is a new statement saying that we do not actively collect or study ancestral remains and that we discourage archaeologists from collecting ancestral remains to be stored at the museum. The second big change is that anything acquired from Indigenous peoples during the anti-potlatch-law years (1885–1951) is to be considered repatriatable, because we consider this period to have been a time of great duress. This is a significant improvement to our policy, honouring our commitment to the Task Force Report on Museums and First Peoples and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We have also created a strategic plan to direct our department for the next three years. We have gained great momentum with the addition of new team
Spruce root woven baskets by Brian Wilson.
members and we are ready to plan for the future. As we amp up our repatriation efforts, this strategic plan will support our work. In all of this work, we are indebted to the members of our Indigenous Advisory and Advocacy Committee (IAAC) for their feedback, input and guidance. IAAC has helped to reshape the museum’s policies, programs and exhibits and has fully supported the relationships between Indigenous communities, the Royal BC Museum and the broader museum community. We are excited about the work we are doing, and we look forward to providing updates and sharing stories through our newsletter and through our website at royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/first-nations/ first-nations-repatriation. And finally, we are excited to welcome Nika Collison to the Royal BC Museum Board of Directors! Nika joins Tewanee Joseph of Squamish Nation in representing First Nations on the museum’s board.
A MESSAGE FROM LOU-ANN NEEL REPATRIATION SPECIALIST
Gilakas’la! My name is Lou-ann Ika’wega Neel, and I am from the Mamalilikulla and Kwagiulth nations of the Kwakwaka’wakw people. I was born in Alert Bay, BC, but have lived most of my life in the ancestral lands of the Lekwungen, also known as Victoria, BC. I joined the First Nations and Repatriation department team in spring 2018 as the repatriation specialist, after many years working independently as a contractor and consultant on programs and projects relating to Indigenous arts, culture, education, entrepreneurship, organizational development, and policy writing and analysis. I feel very honoured to join the team at the Royal BC Museum and to carry out such important work with Indigenous communities from around the province.
In addition to these wonderful community connections, I work closely with my fellow team members and other departments in the Royal BC Museum to organize the information for each community we are working with in the repatriation process. I really appreciate the work our digitization team is doing to make all of this information searchable in the museum’s databases, as I know this will enable me to provide communities with information for their respective repatriation projects. I am especially excited about the digitization of the photo and audio collections—I believe this will be an important part of planning for 2019’s International Year of Indigenous Languages.
My first six months have been a balance of activities relating to the Royal BC Museum Repatriation Grant Program; the repatriation handbook; researching other funding sources for communities to access; coordinating a gathering of the communities who received funds from the Repatriation Grant Program; and travelling to communities to share more about the process of repatriation. This summer, I attended the BC Elders Gathering in Duncan, BC, hosted by the Cowichan people, where I had the opportunity to talk with elders from all around BC about repatriation. It was very reassuring to hear of their generous support for this work and to hear their thoughts and ideas about the process. One highlight for me was loaning a Chilkat blanket to Trevor Isaac to wear at his potlatch in Alert Bay. The loaning of cultural materials is one meaningful way the museum is able to connect with communities. Later in the summer, I travelled to Tofino, BC, for the Carving on the Edge Festival. This was an exciting opportunity to talk with artists about repatriation and to discuss the important roles of artists in this process. We had an opportunity to look through a binder of archival photographs of communities in Nuu-chah-nulth territories, and we shared information about how to access the collections and the archives.
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INDIGENOUS Royal BC Museum News
Chief Trevor Isaac, ‘Namgis First Nation, with Chilkat Robe by Anisalaga.
21 REPATRIATION GRANTS AWARDED After reviewing numerous strong submissions for its repatriation grant program, the IAAC is pleased to announce that funding will be provided to 21 First Nations and Indigenous organizations from across BC to support their work in repatriation.
repatriation committees; the development of repatriation policies, procedures and inventories; and the return of ancestral remains to their respective home communities. A total of $586,160 was awarded as follows:
The successful applicants will use the grants to support repatriation activities that include the establishment of
APPLICANT
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Ahousaht First Nation
Cowichan Tribes
Gitxaala First Nation
Haida Gwaii Museum Society
Heiltsuk Tribal Council
K’òmoks First Nation
Kwantlen First Nation
Lower Nicola Indian Band
AMOUNT AWARDED
PROJECT SUMMARY
$30,000.00
Ahousaht, after recently discovering there are ancestral remains of Ahousaht members at the Royal BC Museum, will begin a wider search, build capacity and repatriate members back to Ahousaht territories.
$30,000.00
Cowichan Tribes will conduct research to identify all museums and institutions that hold Cowichan ancestors and cultural property, send initial inquiries to each to confirm their holdings and develop an inventory of same.
$30,000.00
Gitxaala First Nation will establish a Repatriation Working Committee and initiate community-based research on Gitxaala materials at the Royal BC Museum. The Gitxaala First Nation will develop and implement an inventory and plan.
$30,000.00
The Haida Gwaii Museum will work with the Haida Repatriation Committee and the Haida Heritage & Repatriation Society to further its nation’s repatriation work with institutions in BC, Canada and the UK.
$30,000.00
Heiltsuk First Nation will initiate repatriation of Heiltsuk ancestral remains, seeking to identify and compile an inventory of holding institutions, their policies and contact info; initiate negotiations, and re-establish a Repatriation Committee.
$30,000.00
K’òmoks First Nation will build a community grave house; develop a database for repatriated items; construct cedar burial boxes; establish a repatriation committee; and conduct cultural ceremonies / community celebration on IR #1.
$30,000.00
Kwantlen First Nation will document cultural items from the Township of Langley’s archives, then transcribe this information to GIS format for future exhibition planning in a new Indigenous space to be opened in 2021.
$30,000.00
Lower Nicola Indian Band will establish a Repatriation Committee. They will identify priorities, protocols and procedures, build relationships, facilitate knowledge repatriation visit and work with select repositories, and promote the use of the Nłeʔkepmxcin language. INDIGENOUS Royal BC Museum News
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AMOUNT AWARDED
Metlakatla First Nation
$30,000.00
Metlakatla First Nation will start a community repatriation committee managed by the Culture, Language & Heritage Dept. in Metlakatla, BC.
$28,150.00
Musqueam First Nation is starting engagement with its community members and external partners on the desire, scope, and feasibility of repatriation and to develop appropriate repatriation heritage policies and procedures.
$20,000.00
Nadleh Whut’en First Nation will arrange a long-term loan of Bear Clan regalia from the Canadian Museum of History to the Nadleh Whut’en Administrative Building for long-term display.
$30,000.00
Nuu-chah-nulth have just become aware of ancestral remains of Nuu-chah-nulth members in the Field Museum in Chicago and at the Royal BC Museum. They will research other museums and work on repatriation of these remains.
$30,000.00
It is crucial to Syilx (Okanagan) people that decision-making related to ancient ancestors recognizes and respects Indigenous customs, practice and laws. The Okanagan Alliance will develop a policy and guidelines for the repatriation, reburial and protection of ancestral remains.
$30,000.00
Stk’emlupsemc First Nation will engage in a variety of planning and implementation activities for a repatriation framework/committee, including lists of ancestral remains and plans for repatriating.
$30,000.00
The Sto:lo House of Respect Committee will repatriate the remains of seven ancestors held at UBC and complete the journey home for 22 individuals resting in the Sto:lo Resource Centre.
$30,000.00
Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation will create a repatriation committee to develop a repatriation strategic plan for Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, including repatriation of ancestors, research and mentorship with other nations.
$21,883.00
Treaty 8 Tribal Association will create a Repatriation Registry that will enable member First Nations to develop repatriation plans and carry out necessary research.
Musqueam First Nation
Nadleh Whut’en First Nation
Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council
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Okanagan Alliance
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Stk’emlupsemc te Secwepemc Nation
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APPLICANT
Sto:lo Nation
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Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation
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Treaty 8 Tribal Association
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PROJECT SUMMARY
APPLICANT
AMOUNT AWARDED
PROJECT SUMMARY
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Tsleil-Waututh First Nation
$14,290.00
Tsleil-Waututh will proceed with the repatriation of human remains, the “Little Lady” from Simon Fraser University, to Tsleil-Waututh Nation, and will develop a Tsleil-Waututh Nation Repatriation Policy.
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Tseycum First Nation
$30,000.00
Tseycum First Nation will proceed with the return of ancestral remains from the Royal BC Museum to its community for reburial.
$21,837.00
Ucluelet First Nation will create bentwood boxes and acquire appropriate storage for the nation’s artifacts and remains at its offices; Ucluelet First Nation will continue work to repatriate remains and artifacts.
$30,000.00
The Mowachaht Muchalaht First Nation will initiate an advisory committee to work on the repatriation of the Whaler’s Shrine, which is in the Museum of Natural History in New York.
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Ucluelet First Nation
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Yuquot- Mowachaht Muchalaht First Nation
GATHERING OF COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVES On October 19, 2018, representatives from each of the communities that received a Royal BC Museum Repatriation Grant gathered at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria for a day of networking. The gathering was an opportunity for community representatives to meet one another, to share experiences around repatriation and to have an initial tour of the BC Archives and Royal BC Museum ethnology, anthropology and archaeology collections. Participants also offered excellent feedback on the repatriation handbook currently being developed by the Royal BC Museum in partnership with the Haida Gwaii Museum Society. Minister Lana Popham with Repatriation Grant Program representatives.
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REFRESHING THE FIRST PEOPLES’ GALLERY We are sure you would agree that the First Peoples gallery has been in need of revision! This year, we have had the opportunity and pleasure to work on this. Our goal has been to bring contemporary Indigenous voices to the displays and to work in collaboration with Indigenous peoples. The Northwest Coast weaving installation and the reinterpretation of the model of K’uuna Llnagaay (Skedans village) are now installed, bringing contemporary Indigenous perspectives and a modern look to the space. Sincere thanks to Tsimshian weaver Willy White for his artistry and inspiring engagement; to Chief Gidansda, Guujaaw, for his words and wisdom; to the Skidegate Haida Immersion Program for the house names; to photographer Patrick Shannon for his beautiful photograph of K’uuna; and to Helen Haig-Brown for the video. We also give thanks to the Seabirth Foundation and Great-West Life for supporting the initiative. We’ve had very positive response to these new installations and are looking forward to continuing this much-needed work on the First Peoples gallery. Planning for our next refresh is currently in development and is expected to be under way early in the New Year. Other ongoing exhibit projects include an online virtual museum exhibition of totem poles in the museum’s collection.
Top: Willy White working on new Chilkat apron. Bottom: Guujaw and nephew Tian Wilson enjoying a sea urchin snack at K’uuna.
Proud sponsor of the First Peoples gallery re-scripting project.
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NEW PUBLICATIONS COMING SOON! Martha Black, the museum’s ethnology curator, has co-edited (with Dr. Caitlin Gordon-Walker) a special issue of BC Studies that is now in press. It’s titled Indigeneities and Museums: Ongoing Conversations and presents some of the current conversations taking place around meaningful collaborations, actual and virtual repatriations, attempts to Indigenize European-style institutions, and implementation of enhanced— and perhaps different—relationships between Indigenous peoples and museums. Indigenous and non-Indigenous colleagues who have been thinking about and deeply involved in this important work offer their experiences and insights. A painting by Shawn Hunt graces the cover.
REPATRIATION 101 HANDBOOK We are in the process of creating a ‘repatriation 101’ handbook to support the Indigenous peoples who are just beginning their repatriation journeys. This handbook will include successful repatriation stories, give examples of repatriation requests, describe how to set up a repatriation society and list significant global museums with collections from BC. The handbook will be available on our website and provided to communities next year.
COLLABORATION WITH THE SONGHEES FIRST NATION This year Grant Keddie, curator of archaeology, has been working closely with Songhees First Nation on the development of displays for the new Songhees Cultural Centre on Belleville Street. The nation’s curatorial team developed the overall design of the gallery, and Grant assisted by locating archival photos and historic information that will help the nation to share their culture. The museum also donated some display cases to the centre.
BC Studies Indigeneities and Museums: Ongoing Conversations.
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AUDIOVISUAL REPATRIATION
a number of nations on the return of their ancestors’ remains, and we look forward to working with more Indigenous communities to respectfully return all of the ancestral remains from the museum.
It is an honour to assist individuals, organizations and communities in discovering audiovisual resources, which are very important and very impactful. We have added three members to the team to support the digitization and repatriation of intangible heritage. Brooke Albers, Pam Rutley and Geena Wilson have been working diligently with other team members to digitize the extensive collection and consolidate the permissions and rights-holder information to make it more accessible to Indigenous communities.
We recently returned an archaeology collection, including burial items, to the Cowichan Tribes and in the coming months we will be working closely with several other First Nations in the repatriation of ancestral remains.
For those of you who have visited us, you know what a wealth of knowledge is held in the historic photos. These thousands of photographs and the information written on them are only accessible if you come to see us in Victoria. In the future, many of these photographs will be available online! Approximately 2,700 Indigenous photographs have been digitized this year, including photos from Coast Salish, Wuikinuxv, Nuu-chah-nulth and Kootenay communities. Next on the list is the Haida collection. We have been able to share these on memory sticks with community members, and we look forward to working with Indigenous communities when we are ready to show photographs without community restrictions on the internet.
REPATRIATION HIGHLIGHTS
INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES In 2019, we will celebrate the International Year of Indigenous Languages. We look forward to working with the First Peoples’ Culture Council on a Language Symposium. We are also looking forward to supporting Indigenous language revitalization by digitizing our thousands of language recordings for communities. Our A/V digitization production has increased by more than 30 per cent this summer, thanks to funding provided by the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development and FortisBC. Please contact us for information on our Indigenous language resources and watch for updates as we continue to plan ways of honouring the International Year of Indigenous Languages.
This has proven to be a year of repatriation focus. As well as conducting the audiovisual repatriation work, we have been a part of Te’mexw Treaty Association treaty negotiation main tables at the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation to discuss provisions in the culture and heritage chapter pertaining to the museum. We look forward to very positive long-term working relationships with TTA member nations. We have also put significant time into the preparation for the return of ancestral remains and burial items from the museum. Matching the records with the ancestral remains and to connect with collectors, the Archaeology Branch, the Coroner’s Office, archaeologists and descendants of collectors to ensure that we have as much information on the more than 700 ancestral remains in the collection. We have been working with
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INDIGENOUS Royal BC Museum News
Above: Chief Ron Ignace and Brian Seymour researching photo collections.
BEHIND-THE-SCENES TOURS The Indigenous collection at the museum is a wealth of knowledge. There are more than 200,000 archaeological belongings, 15,000 ethnographic belongings, 3,000 audiovisual recordings and 23,000 historic images in the department, and thousands more records in the archives. The past year has been extremely busy with both tours and research visits. With the Museum Repatriation Grant Program under way, we expect a full schedule of visits to the collections throughout the next year! We are booking these visits months in advance, so please be patient if you are planning a visit. You can begin your research by visiting our website at royalbcmuseum.bc.ca
Proud sponsor of the First Nations ethnology digitization project.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH This year, museum staff committed to reaching out to Indigenous communities. We had booths and connected with people at the BC Cabinet and First Nations Leadership meeting, the Ktunaxa Nation’s Annual General Assembly, the BC Elders’ Gathering, Alaska’s Celebration 2018, the Carving on the Edge Festival and the Indigenous Cultural Festival at the museum. We talked to hundreds of people, sharing photographs, recordings and other information on the Indigenous collections at the museum. We are also proud to have had Sheila Sampson, collections assistant, connect with young children at the ȽÁU,WELṈEW Elementary School in Central Saanich. We love connecting with communities! If you have an event you would like to invite us to, please contact us. Top: Genevieve Weber, archivist, at BC Elders Gathering in Duncan. Middle: Works at the Carving on the Edge Festival, Tofino. Bottom: Artists’ tools at the Carving on the Edge Festival, Tofino.
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WAWADIT’ŁA – MUNGO MARTIN HOUSE GETS A FACELIFT This year we completed renovations to Wawadiťła, the Mungo Martin bighouse. This was a huge undertaking, which we began with the endorsement of Mungo’s descendants. There is a new roof, new flooring (which we hope will be less dusty for the dancers) and a reorganization and refresh of the kitchen area. We hope this facelift will make the bighouse a safer and comfortable space for cultural activities. Inside of Wawadit’ła, the Mungo Martin bighouse.
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CROSSING CULTURES AND HEALING
Tom and Perry are members of the Tsawout First Nation with ancestral connections to the southern part of what is now known as Vancouver Island. Both are internationally accomplished carvers.
In the fall of 2017 staff were brainstorming ideas for activities to share with visitors during the summer of 2018. The challenges were familiar to the team here at the museum: What could we do that was interesting, fun, educational and mandate-driven? How could we include partnerships with the communities the museum serves? As happens often among museum-folk, we looked to the past for inspiration.
Tom completed his first carving when he was 11 years old. He has since advanced to carving masks, rattles, paddles, dishes, talking sticks, single figures and totem poles. He has also made and painted drums. Tom’s work is distinguished by its stylistic fluidity and refined use of color. Perry received most of his training from his brother, Francis Horne, and has been influenced by his elders. He apprenticed under Francis on several major projects, including assisting in the carving of four poles for the City of Totems in Duncan. Perry also had the privilege of working with the late Coast Salish master carver Simon Charlie. He works in a contemporary Coast Salish style, and many of his pieces emphasize the natural properties of the wood that he uses.
Visitors and staff speak fondly about the old Carving Studio, the exceptional carvers who worked there and the works that came from it. Could we try something similar again? We were excited about the possibility of developing a new Indigenous carving program in collaboration with the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. At around the same time, the BC Ministry of Health approached us about a project they were considering. Stephen Sxwithul’txw, senior advisor of cultural safety and Aboriginal recruitment, met with us to discuss his idea to have a totem pole carved and raised in acknowledgement of the process of reconciliation that has started at the ministry. Their challenge was finding somewhere public to carve the pole so that the process could be shared. Voila! A new partnership was born.
Tom and Perry called the project “Crossing Cultures and Healing”. When we first met, Tom said, “For me this is really about healing. Reconciliation is a word that isn’t meaningful to me. This is about sharing our art across cultures.” This theme of healing and cultural Left: Tom LaFortune, master carver, shaping the pole. Right: Mique’l Dangeli of the Git Hayetsk: People of the Copper Shield Dance Group.
Chief Ron Sam of the Songhees Nation recommended master carvers (and brothers) Tom and Perry LaFortune. INDIGENOUS Royal BC Museum News
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understanding is reflected in the final design Tom developed for the seven-metre (25-foot) pole. Preparation and preliminary work took place at the carving shed on Admirals Road in June and early July. In mid-July the pole was transported to the Royal BC Museum so our visitors could learn about contemporary carving practice and see the masterwork come to life. Tom and Perry like to have fun, so there were more than a few laughs along the way! TimberWest generously sponsored the project and provided the log for the program. The company has a history of supporting First Nations artists through their TimberWest First Nation Cultural Art Showcase Program, which recognizes and supports four First Nations artists each year. Crossing Cultures and Healing is expected to be complete by the end of September, and the pole will be raised at the Ministry of Health building on Blanshard Street in Victoria on November 22. Right: Tom and Perry LaFortune working on Crossing Cultures and Healing pole. Below: Crossing Cultures and Healing pole raised at the BC Ministry of Health Building, November 20, 2018.
Proud sponsor of the First Nations carving program.
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INDIGENOUS Royal BC Museum News