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Weaving Relationality Into Métis Material Culture Repatriation

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Heart Work: Weaving Relationality into Métis Material Culture Repatriation by Leah Kirstie Hrycun A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Faculty of Native Studies University of Alberta © Leah Kirstie Hrycun, 2020 Abstract The purpose of this study is to explore the desires of Métis individuals in Alberta to advance repatriation and to analyze their views on the role that museums play in continuing to hold material culture. The Métis Nation of Alberta expressed interest in advancing repatriation efforts on behalf of Métis in Alberta, and it is anticipated that this study will provide insight into the desire for repatriation and the effect that repatriation could have on self-determination for Métis in Alberta. It is anticipated that articulating the desires of Métis individuals to advance repatriation would make clear the need for a Métis-specific framework for repatriation, and accordingly this study serves as a foundation from which a Métis-specific framework for repatriation can be negotiated between Métis in Alberta and the federal and provincial governments. Utilizing qualitative case study methodology, including focus groups and one-on- one interviews, this study canvassed nine individuals who self-identify as Métis and who currently reside in Alberta. The data collected through these processes highlight the need for museums and museum staff to develop policies and procedures unique to Métis needs and goals in order to advance repatriation. Through this study, it was found that there is a strong desire for Métis in Alberta to advance repatriation, and that Métis-specific repatriation centres on the development of good relations between Métis and museums in Alberta. This study also found that there is a need to create a framework for museums that hold Métis material culture, a framework that advances decolonization and reconciliation, empowering Métis with agency over their own material culture and re-engaging Métis communities with items central to their unique identity. ii Preface This thesis is an original work by Leah Kirstie Hrycun. The research project, of which this thesis is a part, received research ethics approval from the University of Alberta Research Ethics Board, Project Name “Beading Histories: Reframing Métis Material Culture Repatriation,” No. Pro00093325, 15 October 2019. iii Acknowledgements I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to my thesis supervisor, Dr. Nathalie Kermoal, for mentoring and guiding me through the research process that made the writing of this thesis possible. Her vision, honesty, and dedication have genuinely inspired me, and I am grateful for the opportunity to work and study under her guidance. I would also like to thank her for her friendship and the laughs we shared over our socially distanced walking meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for her help in modifying this project so that it could be completed in a good way despite the obstacles of a global pandemic. I am truly grateful. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Sean Robertson, and Dr. Kisha Supernant, for their feedback and encouragement throughout the writing and defence process. Those who participated in this research—Tanya Ball, Connie Kulhavy, Krista Leddy, Josh Morin Sharon Morin, Bailey Oster, Dawn Saunders-Dahl, Wyatt Schiefelbein, and Norma Spicer—are the centre of this project and I am extremely grateful for the time and energy they gave to it, and their commitment to effect change. I would especially like to thank Krista Leddy for teaching me that complicity in the settler colonial project can steal in despite the best of intentions. I will be forever thankful for her teachings. To my loving family, thank you for your encouragement and support. Mom and Dad, Sandi and Terry Hrycun, Nicholas and Teresa Hrycun, and Olivia Hrycun, you have all supported me so much throughout this process and I am truly grateful. To my husband, Mike Dolson, thank you for your unwavering dedication and support in seeing me achieve my goals. Finally, I extend my thanks to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council for generously funding this research project and for their commitment to support graduate students. iv Chapter 1 Introduction................................................................................................................. 1 Background ................................................................................................................................. 2 Problem Statement ...................................................................................................................... 8 Statement of Purpose and Research Questions ........................................................................... 8 Positionality ................................................................................................................................ 9 Rationale and Significance ....................................................................................................... 11 Thesis Organization .................................................................................................................. 12 Chapter 2 The Politics of Repatriation in Canada: Setting the Context ............................... 14 Repatriation Legislation and Policy in Canada ......................................................................... 15 Métis Marginalization ............................................................................................................... 23 Repatriation of Indigenous Material Culture in Canada ........................................................... 29 Chapter 3 Decolonizing Museum Spaces and Material Culture Relationality: A Review of Current Literature ...................................................................................................................... 36 Repatriation ............................................................................................................................... 37 Decolonizing Museum Spaces .................................................................................................. 41 Métis Material Culture .............................................................................................................. 46 Chapter 4 White Possession and Keeoukaywin: Methodologies to Further Métis Repatriation ................................................................................................................................. 50 Methodological Approach ........................................................................................................ 61 Acts of Reciprocity ................................................................................................................... 67 Chapter 5 Métis Knowledges and Desire to Advance Repatriation ...................................... 70 Finding 1: All participants believe that it is of paramount importance that museums be in good relation with Métis. ................................................................................................................... 70 Finding 2: All participants believe that there is a historical and contemporary misunderstanding of Métis identity. ......................................................................................... 79 Finding 3: All participants view museums as places of learning and, as such, should be held accountable for the knowledges they reproduce. ...................................................................... 84 Finding 4: All participants believe that the pursuit of repatriation is very important. .............. 90 Chapter 6 Discussing Métis Material Culture Repatriation .................................................. 97 How have colonial practices regarding the collection and retention of material culture contributed to Métis dispossession? .......................................................................................... 97 What is the importance of repatriation to Métis communities in Alberta? ............................. 103 What does a Métis-specific framework for repatriation look like? ........................................ 108 Repatriation as Relationality .............................................................................................. 108 Repatriation as Knowledge ................................................................................................. 110 Repatriation as Care and Control ...................................................................................... 111 v Repatriation Frameworks ................................................................................................... 113 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 115 Bibliography .............................................................................................................................. 119 Interviews: ............................................................................................................................... 119 Secondary Sources .................................................................................................................. 119 Appendix A Focus Group Semi-Structured Interview Questions ........................................ 133 Appendix B Protocols for Building Relationships with Métis Community Members........ 134 vi Definitions of Key Terminology Métis For the purposes of this research,
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