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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">On behalf of Gitxaa³a Nation:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Default"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.5pt">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 10</span></b><b><span style="font-size:8.0pt">th</span></b><b><span style="font-size:11.5pt">, 2025
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.5pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.5pt">Gitxaa³a Nation Returns over 23 Cultural Treasures from the Royal BC Museum
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.5pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.5pt">GITXAA£A NATION – Gitxaa³a’s Language and Culture Department, and it’s repatriation project, Ha’amwaal £agyigyedm Gitxaa³a (cultural treasures of Gitxaa³a ancestors), has been working with the Victoria-based
Royal BC Museum to return home over 23 cultural treasures to Gitxaa³a’s community of Lax Klan.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.5pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.5pt">Five staff from the Royal BC Museum (RBCM), travelled to Lax Klan on July 8</span><span style="font-size:8.0pt">th</span><span style="font-size:11.5pt">, 2025, with the 23 cultural treasures. Upon arrival,
a large gathering witnessed a ceremonial blessing provided by Gitxaa³a hereditary chiefs and elders, working with Gitxaa³a’s Language and Culture department, at the Community Hall in Lax Klan. The Ha’amwaal £agyigyedm Gitxaa³a were cleansed using traditional
medicines, as well as singing, drumming and dancing from Gitxaa³a’s Drum and Dance Group. A feast was held at the William Shaw Memorial Gym in Lax Klan to a packed gathering, featuring feast soup and a traditional seafood smorgasbord.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.5pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.5pt">One of the key Gitxaa³a cultural treasures discussed and presented at the feast was a hayetsk (copper shield) belonging to Chief Paul Ts’ibasaa, who was then the head chief of Gitxaa³a. The hayetsk is associated
with colonial injustice involving charges of piracy and murder alleged against four Gitxaa³a hereditary leaders in 1872, including Paul Ts’ibasaa. Judge Matthew Begbie, known in those days as ‘The Hanging Judge,’ presided over the trial. The hayetsk ended
up in the hands of a provincial police representative, whose family later sold it to the provincial museum. This was during the period of the Potlatch Ban in Canada, when many aspects of First Nations’ cultural and traditional governance had been made illegal
under colonial law, and when First Nations people were struggling to survive amidst colonialist genocide, such as the smallpox and tuberculosis epidemics.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.5pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.5pt">During the July 8</span><span style="font-size:8.0pt">th
</span><span style="font-size:11.5pt">feast, gifts were exchanged between the RBCM and Gitxaa³a’s Language and Culture Department, including an original drawing from Gitxaa³a artist William Cooper. Black hoodies with a red hayetsk design were distributed to
all the guests at the feast, featuring Cooper’s hayetsk artwork including the Sm’algyax phrase, ‘Ha’amwaal £agyigyedm Gitxaa³a.’
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.5pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.5pt">This historical return to Gitxaa³a Nation was made possible with assistance from Heritage Canada’s Museum Assistance Program and First People’s Cultural Council grants. The provenance research provided by
the RBCM helped Gitxaa³a’s Language and Culture department staff in locating some of the cultural treasures after years of collaborative research, including several Gitxaa³a delegation visits to the RBCM.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.5pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.5pt">The Gitxaa³a Nation has been working on its repatriation program since 2018, and has been working with the Royal BC Museum since 2021. This has involved research to identify Gitxaa³a cultural belongings that
are currently in the collections of museums throughout the world. Gitxaa³a is working with over 20 museums to return over 100+ Gitxaa³a cultural belongings. The 23 Ha’amwaal £agyigyedm Gitxaa³a returned home from the RBCM is displayed at the Language and Culture
Office in Gitxaa³a’s ancient community of Lax Klan. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.5pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.5pt">For more information, contact Dustin Johnson at the Gitxaa³a Nation Language and Culture Department -
<span style="color:#0462C1">culture@gitxaalanation.com </span>& 250-848-2100.</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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