Indigenous Repatriation Handbook

A reference for BC Indigenous communities and museums, created by and for Indigenous people working in 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, BCMA Indigenous Advisory Chair, Nuyumbalees Cultural Centre We are in a new era of reconciliation that involves repatriation—the return of Indigenous objects and Ancestral remains to their home communities—and the creation of meaningful relationships between museums and Indigenous communities. This handbook, the first to be created by and for Indigenous people, provides practical information that will enable each of the 34 unique Indigenous language and cultural groups in BC to carry out the process of repatriation in ways that align with the cultural traditions of each respective community. It also provides information that will be helpful to museums, and to Indigenous communities across Canada.

Jisgang Nika Collison is Executive Director and Curator at the Haida Gwaii Museum at Kay Llnagaay. Sdaahl K’awaas Lucy Bell is the head of the Indigenous Collections and Repatriation Department at the Royal BC Museum. Lou-ann Neel is the repatriation specialist at the Royal BC Museum.