Indigenous Repatriation Handbook
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Indigenous Repatriation Prepared by the Royal BC Museum and Handbook the Haida Gwaii Museum at Kay Llnagaay INDIGENOUS REPATRIATION HANDBOOK Prepared by Jisgang Nika Collison, Sdaahl K’awaas Lucy Bell and Lou-ann Neel Indigenous Repatriation Handbook Copyright © 2019 by the Royal British Columbia Museum Prepared by Jisgang Nika Collison, Sdaahl K’awaas Lucy Bell and Lou-ann Neel Published by the Royal BC Museum, 675 Belleville Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W 9W2, Canada. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Interior design and typesetting by Nathan Oickle and Jeff Werner Cover artwork by Dylan Thomas Cover design by Fresh Art & Design Inc. Interior artwork by Margaret Briere All photographs courtesy of the Royal BC Museum unless otherwise noted Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Title: Indigenous repatriation handbook / prepared by Jisgang Nika Collison, Sdaahl K’awaas Lucy Bell and Lou-ann Neel. Names: Collison, Jisgang Nika, 1971- author. | Sdaahl K’awaas, Lucy Bell, 1971- author. | Neel, Lou-ann, 1963- author. | Royal British Columbia Museum, publisher. Description: Includes bibliographical references. Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20190084634 | Canadiana (ebook) 20190085126 | ISBN 9780772673176 (softcover) | ISBN 9780772673183 (PDF) Subjects: LCSH: Indians of North America—Material culture—British Columbia—Handbooks, manuals, etc. | LCSH: Cultural property— Repatriation—British Columbia—Handbooks, manuals, etc. Classification: LCC E98.M34 C65 2019 | DDC 971.1004/97—dc23 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements vii Message from Lucy Bell, Head of the Indigenous Collections and Repatriation Department, Royal BC Museum ix Message from Professor Jack Lohman CBE, Chief Executive Officer, Royal BC Museum, and Tracey Herbert, CEO, First Peoples’ Cultural Council x Part 1: Introduction 1 Part 2: Organizing a Successful Repatriation 13 Part 3: Conducting Research 29 Part 4: Repatriation from the Royal BC Museum 39 Part 5: Repatriation from Other Institutions 49 Part 6: For Institutions Wishing to Repatriate to Indigenous Peoples in BC 61 Part 7: Case Study: Repatriation Journey of the Haida Nation 67 Appendix A: Glossary of Terms 74 Appendix B: Indigenous Museums and Cultural Centres in Canada 77 Appendix C: Organizational Templates, Procedures and Examples 80 Appendix D: Fundraising Resources 98 Appendix E: Sample Letters to Museums 105 Appendix F: Tips for Planning for Travel and Transport 111 Appendix G: Global Museums with Major Indigenous Collections from BC 116 Appendix H: Resources on Education in Indigenous Museology 150 Appendix I: Frequently Asked Questions about Repatriation 154 Appendix J: Repatriation Success Stories 158 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors thank everyone who made this handbook possible, including: • Province of British Columbia Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture • Tracey Herbert and the First Peoples’ Cultural Council • Vince Collison of the Haida Gwaii Museum at Kay Llnagaay • The Haida Repatriation Committee • Dr. Genevieve Hill, Katie Dierks, Brooke Albers, Genevieve Weber, Emma Wright and Erika Stenson of the Royal British Columbia Museum • Dr. Laura Peers • Honor Keeler • The speakers from the 2017 Indigenous Perspectives on Repatriation Symposium • The museums, archives, cultural centres and associations mentioned in the handbook • The 2018 Repatriation Grant recipients viii MESSAGE FROM Lucy Bell, Head of the Indigenous Collections and Repatriation Department, Royal BC Museum Lucy Bell, head of the Indigenous Singaay ‘laas, dii tuwiilang, it gives me great pleasure to share with Collections and Repatriation you the Indigenous Repatriation Handbook! This handbook sure would Department, in the Indigenous Collections and Repatriation area. have been handy at the beginning of my repatriation journey, but Photo courtesy University of it gives me great pride and hope for you as you begin your own. Victoria Alumni Relations. I raise my hands to everyone who made the handbook a reality. The Royal BC Museum staff, the Haida Gwaii Museum at Kay Llnagaay, the First Peoples’ Cultural Council and the 2018 Repatriation Grant recipients did a wonderful job of bringing this valuable resource together. I also give thanks to my handbook collaborators, Jisgang Nika Collison and Lou-ann Neel. The three of us worked diligently to ensure this was a thorough resource. We have extensive experience in museology, administration, research and repatriation. We have also walked between our Indigenous worlds and mainstream museum worlds, and we know how challenging and rewarding this work can be. We hope our reflections and suggestions are helpful to you. Dii k’anguudanggang. I am hopeful! We are in a new era of reconciliation that involves repatriation and creating meaningful relationships between museums and Indigenous communities. I am proud of the strides we have all made, and I look forward to witnessing the new possibilities! I wish you well on your repatriation journey, and I look forward to learning about your repatriation successes. Dalang aa Hl kil ‘laagang, Lucy Bell Sdaahl K’awaas MESSAGE FROM Professor Jack Lohman CBE, Chief Executive Officer, Royal BC Museum, and Tracey Herbert, CEO, First Peoples’ Cultural Council On behalf of the Royal BC Museum and the First Peoples’ Cultural Council, it is our pleasure to share this new resource with Indigenous communities and museum professionals around the province. The Indigenous Repatriation Handbook is made possible by the generous support of the Province of British Columbia and through a partnership with the Haida Gwaii Museum at Kay Llnagaay, with guidance from the First Peoples’ Cultural Council and the Royal BC Museum Indigenous Advisory and Advocacy Committee. Informed by Indigenous people, the 1992 Task Force on Museums and First Peoples, the 1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, the 2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action, the handbook also helps to outline the important steps the Royal BC Museum is taking to honour these policy frameworks through the new Indigenous Collections and Repatriation Policy and the museum’s 2019–2022 strategic plan. With 34 unique Indigenous language and cultural groups in BC, this handbook seeks to provide practical information that will enable each group to carry out the process of repatriation in ways Tsilhqot'in basket, RBCM 2800. that align with the cultural traditions of each respective community, while also providing information that will be helpful to museums. We recognize that the handbook will undergo ongoing transformation as new information, processes, policies and practices unfold, and we hope you will find this first edition a useful starting point. We welcome and invite your feedback through the Indigenous Collections and Repatriation Department at the Royal BC Museum. Professor Jack Lohman CBE, CEO, Royal BC Museum Tracey Herbert, CEO, First Peoples’ Cultural Council xi The Totem Hall at the RBCM. xii PART 1 Introduction Welcome to the Indigenous Repatriation Handbook. This first edition of the handbook was written by the Indigenous Collections and Repatriation Department of the Royal BC Museum and the Haida Gwaii Museum at Kay Llnagaay, and it was reviewed by the First Peoples’ Cultural Council and the Royal BC Museum Indigenous Advisory and Advocacy Committee. The handbook was created in response to the feedback received during the 2017 Repatriation Symposium hosted by the Royal BC Museum and the First Peoples’ Cultural Council. The forum brought together over 200 delegates from Indigenous communities throughout British Columbia, as well as representatives of museums and government agencies from around the world. Participants of the forum recommended the creation of a handbook that would support communities and museums that are in the beginning stages of planning for repatriation in BC and at national and international levels. Repatriation is not just a word, but a call to action. ~ Jordan Coble, Sncewips Heritage Museum To repatriate something is to return it to the country of its origin. For museums, repatriation applies more specifically to the return of human remains and cultural objects to Indigenous communities. Because the process of repatriation is different in each instance, we envision that this handbook will continue to evolve and transform as newer practices, policies and processes are developed. The content of this first edition is based on the knowledge and experiences of a number of Indigenous communities in BC, as well as staff of the Royal BC Museum, who collectively have been working on repatriation for the past 30 or more years. The handbook is meant to serve as a reference and is not intended to be prescriptive; rather, it provides guidance on activities related to the process of repatriation. Our late friend and brother Rod Naknakim said, “Reconciliation and repatriation cannot and should not be separated. The two must anchor our conversation and guide our efforts as we move forward collectively with common purpose and understanding.” ~ Dan Smith, BC Museums Association Indigenous Advisory Chair, Nuyumbalees Cultural Centre If your community or museum Dan Smith speaks about is interested in sharing case studies, the Rod Naknakim repatriation declaration samples, templates or any other ideas at