Mayor’s Indigenous Accord

The Manitoba Museum is a proud member of the City of Winnipeg’s Mayor’s Indigenous Accord.

Each year, the Museum joins other members of the Accord to report on our progress on advancing the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action. Below is our current report for 2024, and you can view past reports on the Mayor’s Indigenous Accord webpage.

In June 2023, the Manitoba Museum amended its Bylaws to embrace shared governance, reflecting its commitment to diversity and inclusivity in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). This is operationalized in the Indigenous Governors Policy, ensuring Indigenous representation on the Board with priority given to individuals from Indigenous groups in Manitoba. Collaboration with Indigenous Leaders, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and Scholars, including the Indigenous Advisory Circle (IAC), is central to this approach. The Chair-elect of the IAC joined the Board, ensuring direct Indigenous involvement in governance.

The Museum partnered with the Manitoba Métis Federation and the University of Winnipeg Curatorial Practices program to host two Indigenous students to develop practical skills in curation and exhibition development, leading to the exhibit ooshitawiin avek lamoor/Made with Love in the Museum’s foyer from June 2023-February 2024.

The ongoing Indigenous Scholars in Residence program continues with a University of Manitoba graduate student, funded to engage with the collections for their research.

The Museum ensured collections access for Indigenous communities, scholars, artists, and makers through in-person and virtual visits, prioritizing requests and providing support. The RCE and L&E teams collaborated to enhance community access to collections and develop Indigenous programming across various galleries. This fiscal year, the “Collections for Community” program, initiated by Amelia Fay, offered dedicated weekend viewing times for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis individuals. Tashina Houle-Schlup co-hosted the first session, and attended the second as a guest artist with her brother Cheyenne. The program, planned for 3-4 sessions per year, has received positive feedback.

Manitoba First Nations members requesting tours from their regions were welcome by Dave Finch. He also assisted the Darlingford School Heritage Museum and Swan Lake First Nation with a project documenting the Calf Mountain mound site in western Manitoba. In June 2023, team members came to the Museum to see relevant collections, archives and tour related exhibits in the Prairies gallery.

A Métis Master’s student from the University of Saskatchewan included the Museum’s collection of Métis hooked rugs in her final thesis, highlighting the Museum’s role in supporting academic research.

Diana Bizecki Robson, Curator of Botany, completed the first draft of Manitoba Flora the first documentation of flora since 1957, collaborating with Indigenous Elder Black Thunderbird/Mukaday Animikii, Shirli Ewanchuk to incorporate Indigenous plant knowledge. The first volume is set to be published in early 2025.

The Manitoba Museum was honored to collaborate with the Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) to co-curate, produce and host a temporary exhibition celebrating their 25th anniversary, Manidoo miiniigooizowin: A Gift from the Creator. Dr. Amelia Fay, alongside SCO Curator Amanda McLeod, gathered artifacts from the Museum’s collections and acquired community loans to showcase the incredible talent of SCO member nations. This collaboration was instrumental in building relationships and fostering a spirit of respect and reciprocity.

Curators Dave Finch and Amelia Fay are actively involved in the University of Manitoba’s “Connecting Land, Healing and Heritage” project to help create opportunities for Inuit, Dene, and Cree youth and community groups in Churchill to connect with their heritage through on-the-land programming and the documentation of archaeological resources.

Additionally, Dave Finch advised Sagkeeng First Nation on protecting a petroform site at risk from cycling trail development, providing background material and stabilization advice. In January 2024, the Museum supplied information on Indigenous heritage sites in Winnipeg to safeguard them during new developments.

The Museum remains actively involved with the Inter-institutional Respectful Repatriation/Rematriation Group. This collective of Manitoba institutions collaborates with Indigenous communities, shares information among partners, and coordinates potential repatriation and rematriation of archaeology collections. The Museum is represented in this group by the CEO, Director of RCE, and the Curators of Archaeology, Anthropology, and the HBC Museum Collection.

Hands-on workshops like mukluk and gauntlet making remained popular, providing access to Museum collections and skill revitalization. Collaborations with artists such as Gloria Beckman and Cynthia Boehm enriched these experiences, fostering connections to Indigenous traditions.

Guided tours offer deeper insights into exhibits and artifacts, enhancing visitors’ engagement with cultural heritage. Specialized experiences, such as the “Indigenous Motherhood Tour,” “Indigenous Focus Tour,” and “Reconciling Our History Neighbourhood Tour,” provide tailored interactions with Indigenous content for diverse audiences.

The Museum introduced “First Peoples and the Bison” for Grade 5 students, exploring the cultural legacy of Plains Indigenous peoples and their connection to the bison. This program, crafted by Tashina Houle-Schlup, received enthusiastic acclaim and is becoming a sought-after offering.

The Planetarium premiered “Worlds of Ice,” narrated by Beatrice Deer, highlighting ice and climate change in Inuit communities. “Legends of the Northern Sky,” featuring Indigenous sky storytelling with Cree Astronomer Wilfred Buck, continued to captivate audiences.

For the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation, the Museum offered free admission and hosted Orange Shirt Days @ the Manitoba Museum, attracting over 9,000 visitors. Supported by the Province of Manitoba, the event included powwow performances, exhibits connected to TRC Calls to Action, and participation from Indigenous partners. 

Click here to read the full report