Reports reveal the history of repatriation in B.C. and the path to bring thousands of Ancestors and Belongings home
Two groundbreaking reports, commissioned by the First Peoples’ Cultural Council (FPCC), provide First Nations–led research and analysis of the history and scope of work required to bolster B.C. First Nations repatriation efforts. Estimates from community-based repatriation budgets show significant, long-term investment is needed to repatriate thousands of Ancestors and Belongings that must be returned home.
From Stealing to Healing: Repatriation and B.C. First Nations shares critical research identifying over 2,500 Ancestors and 100,000 Belongings, from B.C. alone, currently held in 229 colonial institutions worldwide. A timeline presents over 100 years of removal and repatriation in B.C. and shares more recent repatriation experiences from 16 Nations. The positive impact of repatriation in communities is immeasurable and is vital for healing and cultural revitalization.
The Repatriation Cost Analysis: A Framework and Model describes the steps taken to identify and estimate the costs of First Nations-led repatriation from the beginning planning stages to long-term caretaking after Ancestors and Belongings are repatriated. It presents a cost model with the flexibility to account for various stages of readiness, amount of items to be returned and diversity across B.C. First Nations communities. It is a tool for communities to identify their resources and needs to move forward with their repatriation projects.
“The First Peoples’ Cultural Council is so grateful to the community experts who so generously shared their knowledge and expertise with all of us,” says Tracey Herbert, CEO of the First Peoples’ Cultural Council. “This groundbreaking research reveals that First Nations–led repatriation is a moral and ethical imperative to mitigate historical and ongoing cultural appropriation. The reports create an opportunity to work together and invest in British Columbia’s collective heritage.”
Gitxaała Nation’s story of the repatriation of a sacred totem pole in 2023 (pictured above) is featured as a case study in From Stealing to Healing. Gitxaała were also recipients of FPCC’s 2022-23 Repatriation Grant which supported this work. Dustin Johnson, Manager of the Gitxaała’s Language & Culture Department, had this to say about the community’s work in bringing back Ha’amwaal Łagyigyedm Gitxaała (Gitxaała’s Ancestral Treasures):
“The return of a sacred totem pole in April 2023 marked Gitxaała Nation’s first-ever repatriation, bringing people together in a way not seen in years and rekindling a profound connection to cultural laws and traditions. Through the financial support of FPCC, the Nation was able to bring home more Ha’amwaal Łagyigyedm Gitxaała and, most significantly, lay two repatriated Ancestral Remains to rest with dignity according to traditional protocols. With countless cultural heritage belongings still held in institutions worldwide, and the significant financial strain that Indigenous communities are faced with to reclaim what was unjustly taken, continued financial support and grants like the FPCC’s are essential to sustaining this vital work of cultural reunification, healing and community revitalization.”
In recent years, with the support of FPCC’s Repatriation and Braided Knowledge Grants, Nunwakola Society has organized projects to research, digitize and archive Dzawada’enuxw belongings and traditional knowledge that were lost to the community because of colonization. Lindsey Willie, General Manager of the Nunwakola Cultural Society, says:
“There are so many places out there that have our stuff across Canada, the U.S. and Europe. There are hundreds and hundreds of items from Kingcome, which is incredible because, really, we are such a small community. Yet they have thousands of items out there that are ours, and us with not a lot of people to do all of the work to bring them back. The funding has helped a little, but, really, there’s barely any funding for repatriation. We have to use these smaller grants like the First Peoples’ Cultural Council’s Braided Knowledge Grant to piecemeal the work. The work is urgent as well, because we have Elders that are aging. Those Elders currently help us connect the dots between the knowledge that’s in those museums and now.”
This research shows that policy and legislative change, sustained investment, strategic planning, research development, infrastructure and collaboration are essential to successful repatriation efforts. The tools provided aim to address barriers to support the return of Ancestors and Belongings to their rightful place in communities.
From Stealing to Healing: Repatriation and B.C. First Nations was researched and written for FPCC by K’yuu Enterprise Corporation, a Haida consulting company.
Read the full news release and view the reports, executive summaries and fact sheets here
Funding for the Reports
Research and development of From Stealing to Healing and the Cost Analysis reports was made possible with funding from the Government of British Columbia’s Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation through the First Peoples’ Cultural Foundation.
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