Museums gaining sensitivity

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All across Canada, museums are changing the way they present First Nations people and cultures.

From exhibits co-organized with First Nations to artifacts removed from public view because of their sacred value to bureaucratic mechanisms for artifact repatriation, museum sensitivities are evolving to reflect a greater awareness of Canada's first peoples.

"People are tired of seeing First Nations exhibits done by a bunch of white guys," said Grant Hughes, curator of the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria. "Years ago, First Nations were presented as static, or 'museum' cultures. That's simply not true. First Nations cultures are very much alive, and we want to reflect that in our exhibits and presentations."

Since opening in July, Out of the Mist; HuupuKwanum Tupaat, Treasures of the Nuu-chah-nulth Chiefs has been viewed by more than 300,000 visitors. The exhibit, co-sponsored by the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC), represents the first time a Canadian museum has worked tirelessly with the people of the First Nation on display.

"It's really been a great experience," said Willard Gallic, NTC protocol worker for the HuupuKwanum exhibit. "Museum personnel have really worked hard to make sure everything is done properly. From consulting the families whose histories will be displayed, to making sure all information on the artifacts is told correctly, the museum staff should be commended for making sure things are done according to Nuu-chah-nulth protocol."

Seventeen hundred kilometres away, at the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature in Winnipeg, a peace pipe has been removed from a plexi-glass display case, replaced with a sign that reads: "Due to the sacred nature of the pipes in this exhibit and in consultation with Elders from Manitoba and Saskatchewan, the museum has removed them from public display."

"Elders and First Nations people felt quite uncomfortable with ceremonial artifacts such as pipes and pipe bowls being on display," said Dr. Katherine Pedipaw, curator of Native ethnology at the Manitoba museum. "We're really trying to be as proactive and sensitive to First Nations concerns as possible, realizing that we are only caretakers of these wonderful pieces until their rightful owners feel comfortable taking them back to the areas that they came to us from."

In Ottawa, the Canadian Museum of Civilization and Parks Canada have digitized their collection for presentation to different First Nations seeking repatriation of certain artifacts.

Nisga'a politicians successfully negotiated the repatriation of nearly 200 artifacts from various Canadian museums as part of the Nisga'a Agreement. The artifacts will eventually be displayed in a Nisga'a museum scheduled to be built in New Aiyansh within the next five years.

Nuu-chah-nulth leaders on the west coast of Vancouver Island are also in the process of repatriating artifacts from across the country, with the vision of their own museum. According to Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council co-chair Nelson Keitlah, Nuu-chah-nulth artifacts can be found in museums around the world, but such repatriation negotiations are outside the current treaty process, so international negotiations will have to wait until after domestic matters are settled.

"These objects in museums were either taken or stolen by people who had no idea what they were taking," said Keitlah. "These things are very sacred and incredibly spiritual for us."

Museums are beginning to realize the sacred nature of many First Nations artifacts held within even the smallest collections. From national museums to municipal collections, curators are becoming increasingly aware of the cultural significance of certain pieces within their collections.

"We have a number of Nuu-chah-nulth artifacts that we won't display," said David Goode, curator of the Alberni Valley Museum in Port Alberni. "Many of the pieces are not to be touched or viewed except by certain chiefs or authorized people. We recognize the sacredness of theartifact and the role it plays in a very vibrant culture, and we know many of these pieces aren't ours to show."

(See Museums on page 12.)

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"Museums and curators meant no disrespect initially, but were simply unaware certain pieces shouldn't be displayed or handled by certain people," said David Jenkins, collections registrar for Parks Canada, who was in Port Alberni showing Nuu-chah-nulth delegates certain West Coast artifacts held in Parks' Ottawa and Victoria collections. "Through discussions with different First Nations, we've learned how to store certain objects, such as wrapping them in red cloth with tobacco inside. The way we look at it right now, we're just storing these artifacts until such time as individual First Nations have a proper storage centre or museum of their own."