[BCMA] Repatriation Call to Action: On International Museums Day the BC Museums Association (BCMA) Calls Upon All Publicly-Funded Institutions to Repatriate Ancestral Human Remains and Burial Items

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 Repatriation Call to Action: On International Museums Day the BC Museums
Association (BCMA) Calls Upon All Publicly-Funded Institutions to
Repatriate Ancestral Human Remains and Burial Items


May 18, 2021

Throughout the history of Canada, Indigenous peoples have had their
belongings, language, culture, and even ancestors taken from them and
housed in museums, universities, and private collections around the world.
These actions have been enabled and sustained by legislation adopted to
enforce colonial rule. The ancestral remains of thousands continue to be
found in institutions and facilities across the county – the grandparents
and great-grandparents of living Indigenous people.

The BC Museums Association (BCMA) calls upon all publicly funded
institutions in Canada to take this critical step in reconciliation, and
work collaboratively with Indigenous Nations to repatriate their ancestors’
remains.

Dan Smith, former chair of the BCMA Indigenous Advisory Committee and a
member of the Wei Wai Kum First Nation in Campbell River, stated that “*True,
meaningful and lasting reconciliation must include the return of our
ancestors back to the Nations where they were taken from. We must work
together to realize this, and in doing so free our children and their
children from the sacred obligation we have for finding our ancestors and
bringing them home*.”

This initiative has been led by decades of work already undertaken by
Indigenous communities and leaders throughout the country. We encourage
institutions to support the continuation of these efforts towards
reconciliation by aiding the repatriation of ancestors in accordance with
Article 31 of the *United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples (UNDRIP)*
<https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/11/UNDRIP_E_web.pdf>
and
the recommendations held in the *Truth and Reconciliation Commission of
Canada: Calls to Action*
<https://templatelab.com/truth-and-reconciliation-commission-calls-to-action/>
.

“*We have an amazing opportunity to work towards making things right
between hundreds of First Nations in Canada and the culture and heritage
sector who currently steward their material culture. This should not be a
difficult decision nor cumbersome process. The ancestors are waiting to go
home and we should do everything in our power to make that happen*” said
Jodi Simkin, President of the BCMA.

The scope of this work should include all ancestral remains and related
funerary objects within all collections regardless of whether provenance to
specific Nations has been identified. The power of deciding who will accept
ancestral remains lies with the Indigenous communities from the traditional
territories from which they were removed, not the colonial institutions who
currently possess them.

*“Museums and Indigenous communities have had a difficult history, but I am
hopeful that this is changing,”* said Jordan Coble (c̓ris), chair of the
BCMA Indigenous Advisory Committee and Councillor, Westbank First Nation. *“We
have a long way to go, but taking this vital step puts us on a path that
sets a bright future for all peoples, for all relationships, Indigenous,
non-Indigenous.”*

The BCMA encourages all publicly-funded institutions to support
repatriation initiatives. Institutions must be prepared to take action –
this includes adequate budgeting for repatriation work, building
relationships with Indigenous communities and learning how to support
repatriation practices and, ensuring information about collections is
accessible to communities. Institutions should create a transparent and
responsive process that removes as many barriers as possible, empowering
both the staff and Indigenous communities to act swiftly and respectfully
to requests for ancestral repatriation, setting a standard of readiness and
willingness to be an ally in this process.

*The full Repatriation Call to Action pledge and resources to support
museums in taking action can be found on the BCMA’s
website: https://museum.bc.ca/repatriation-call-to-action/
<https://museum.bc.ca/repatriation-call-to-action/>*



Contact:

Ryan Hunt

Executive Director, BC Museums Association

executivedirector at museum.bc.ca

250.884.0499

The BC Museums Association office is located on the traditional, unceded
lands of the Lekwungen <https://vimeo.com/275788251> peoples (Songhees and
Xwsepsum Nations). We respect past, present, and future Indigenous stewards
and recognize that we are uninvited guests on this territory.

BC Museums Association || 675 Belleville Street  || Victoria, BC || V8W 9W2

www.museum.bc.ca

We have launched our new online learning portal and you can now find the
BCMA at *museum.bc.ca <http://museum.bc.ca>*. Please note that this email
address has changed accordingly.
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