The Manitoba Museum has held Ancestors of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities within our collections for several decades. We sincerely and profoundly regret this. In doing this we know the Museum has contributed to and played a role in colonialization. We apologize for our actions, inactions, failures, past and present and understand that what is required now is that our actions be transparent, honest, and meaningful.
In 2022 the Museum began the Homeward Journey project – the work needed to identify the Ancestors with the aim of bringing them home. The Museum also undertook the work of preparing an apology to communities which will be delivered in Fall 2024.
We expect bringing the Ancestors home will take several years and will require honest and meaningful engagement with impacted communities in preparation, during, and after their return.
The Museum is seeking the guidance of spiritual and community leaders and connecting with communities to strengthen relationships. We are committed to communicating the work that is being done and returning the Ancestors home.
Definitions
Ancestors: The physical or biological remains, and more broadly, the spirits of Original Peoples, particularly those who lived in Manitoba and North America or Turtle Island.
Belongings: The possessions associated with Ancestors. Museums and archaeologists frequently refer to these objects as artifacts. For the purposes of the Homeward Journey initiative, Ancestors and their belongings are considered indivisible and should be stored and repatriated together.
Colonization: The process of settling among, extracting from and establishing control over Indigenous peoples and their land. In what is now North America, this process began in the mid-15th century and continues today.
Repatriation: Repatriation is the return of persons, material heritage, and/or associated knowledge to its place of origin, or to its former owners or their heirs. It is a widely understood concept and plays a role in government policy. However, repatriation is often connected to ideas of property and nationhood, and it may not be well connected to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis values.
Rematriation: As a result, the term rematriation has begun to be used. The concept was first introduced by Stó:lō author Lee Maracle in the 1980s. It attempts to reclaim or re-connect values, culture, knowledge, and material resources. The Museum is using both terms in tandem, as repatriation is the better-known term but rematriation more closely aligns with our intent to return the Ancestors in an appropriate way and acknowledges matrilineal heritage systems. (CMA Moved to Action Report: p.40)
Homeward Journey at the Manitoba Museum FAQ
All the Ancestors became the Museum’s responsibility in 1970 when we were located at the Civic Auditorium (now the Manitoba Archives). Some of them were collected by archaeologists when museums in general were common repositories for many archaeological and historical projects. Unfortunately, burials came under this category. In other cases, Ancestors were unintentionally discovered by members of the public and brought to the Museum.
There are just over 40 Ancestors at the Museum, and also some belongings that may be related to burial sites. Most are from Manitoba and there are some from other areas in North America. They represent biological men and women of varying ages, from children to the elderly. It is difficult to say when they might have passed away, but the majority appear to have been buried within the last 500 years. None of the Ancestors are from or near Residential School sites.
Most of the Ancestors are from southern Manitoba and the Interlake, with two from northern Manitoba. A small number are from jurisdictions outside of Manitoba, and four are potentially from the US. In all cases, the Museum is currently researching our records to help determine which communities to contact about returning them.
Some Ancestors were found with personal belongings. Many of the belongings are practical, everyday items like tools, adornments, and pottery. Ancestors and their belongings are part of the same whole: they will be stored together, and they will be returned to relevant communities together.
None of the Ancestors were found at or near Residential School sites.
In consultation with the Indigenous Advisory Circle and with the Ceremonialist’s blessing, Museum staff are responsible for determining which communities the Ancestors may belong to. Dialogue with related communities, however, will ultimately decide where the Ancestors will be returned to.
Determining which communities should be contacted relies on archival and geographical information, such as archaeological field notes and donor records.
We have not and will not photograph Ancestors, use any diagnostic imaging such as X-rays or CT scans, or do DNA or chemical testing, unless expressly asked to do so by the Ancestors’ communities or if required to in a forensic case. Research is non-destructive and includes written observations made by an osteologist (a biological anthropologist).
This project is an initiative of the Manitoba Museum Board of Directors, CEO and Staff. The work itself, is led by the Curator of Archaeology and the Director of Research and Collections.
No research or work is being done on the Ancestors other than trying to identify them and return them home. No invasive or destructive research is being done, nor is photography or other imaging. In the 1990s, some Ancestors were included in an incomplete university project that described Ancestors from across Manitoba. We understand that no invasive or destructive testing was conducted at that time either.
The Ancestors were never on display at the Manitoba Museum.
In past decades, some Ancestors and belongings were described in archaeological reports.
Some belongings were on display at various times but were removed from Museum galleries many years ago.
No destructive chemical, or genetic testing was performed on the Ancestors at any time.
All of the records that the Museum has created or has on file about the Ancestors and their belongings will be given to the communities to which they return.
The Manitoba Museum is committed to returning the Ancestors home. As complete of a history as the Museum can gather will be given to the communities and will not be forgotten.
In the past, the Ancestors and their belongings were housed in the archaeology storage area, and for a short time at a local university. The Ancestors and their belongings are in two secure, private and restricted areas that have been smudged by the Ceremonialist. They are resting in wooden cedar boxes and wrapped in cloth, each with the four medicines. This is temporary, until we consult with relevant communities to ensure we respect and follow their wishes around storage, and protocols for final return.
Having Ancestors in the Museum has always been wrong, even when it was the common practice. It has taken the Museum decades to get to where we are now, actively working to correct this wrong. The current Museum team is committed to addressing decisions made years ago, and are taking important steps to correct these wrongs.
The idea of the Homeward Journey initiative began to come together around 2020, but the Museum stopped accepting Ancestors over fifty years ago. The most recently accessioned Ancestor in the Museum arrived in 1965. In the years after that, archaeologists and museums became increasingly aware of the ethics of their treatment of human remains and of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people.
Within the last two decades, the Museum has addressed one repatriation request of Ancestors, and has assisted the Province of Manitoba in repatriating other burials from northern Manitoba.
The Museum is working with the Indigenous Advisory Circle (IAC) to the Museum that includes representatives from First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities across Manitoba. The spiritual care of the Ancestors was advised by a Ceremonialist member of the Circle. We are also in the process of establishing an Elders/Spiritual Council specifically to guide work of the Homeward Journey.
In November 2023, discussions began with Grand Chiefs from the Province, and a gathering was held in January 2024. These were the first steps in sharing information with communities. The Museum will make an official apology for its treatment of Ancestors in the fall of 2024.
Once we know more about which communities relate to each Ancestor, we will work directly with the Ceremonialists and representatives of those communities.
We cannot speak specifically to other institutions. However, it is known that some Ancestors are held by other Manitoba universities and provincial agencies.
If the Museum’s assessment of Ancestorial remains suggests that any are non-Indigenous, we will also try to return them to their home communities. In these cases, we would consult with the Province of Manitoba and relevant municipalities, and where possible, try to locate relatives to enable them to go back home. All human remains will receive the same standard of care, regardless of their origin. The Museum is committed to ensuring there will be no human remains in its collection, nor will the Museum accept human remains in the future.
More Information
Crisis Support
We understand that this content may be upsetting or triggering for readers.
We recognize the importance of providing support for anyone who may experience trauma related to past harms while visiting this page. We encourage you to seek assistance from crisis centres if needed.
Contact
If you have questions about this project, please reach out to Manitoba Museum CEO, Dorota Blumczyńska at DBlumczynska@ManitobaMuseum.ca or (204) 988-0630.