Artifacts belong in Indian hands

Page 4

It is sad Native elders had to trek hundreds of miles from their homes in Browning , Montana and southern Alberta to try to recapture lost Native artifacts from the Provincial Museum of Alberta.

What's even sadder is they've gone away empty-handed.

And it's sad their families and reserves have suffered for decades the loss of these artifacts, which include sacred medicine bundles and pipes.

These Native people are reduced to viewing their artifacts in glass-enclosed exhibits, which are alarmed so the items aren't stolen.

Museum director Philip Stepney says he's willing to negotiate the possible return of the items. Those talks didn't get off to a good start last week. Frustrated elders and ceremonialists were reduced to tears and one stormed out in anger at the frustration of realizing they would be going home - at least on this visit - without the items.

Let's hope Stepney is serious and is willing to negotiate. And he must realize there is only one possible outcome. There is no middle ground.

The objects have to be returned to Indians.

Museum officials point out they hold the items in trust for the Canadian public.

What nonsense!

These artifacts do not properly belong to either the U.S. or Canadian governments even though money changed hands and the artifacts were legally sold by collector Robert Scriver.

Montana Blackfeet bundle holder George Kipp said Scriver violated a position of trust by selling the collection.

Museum officials also say they protected Indian artifacts from being lost when it was illegal for Indians to won them. Fine. The museums should be thanked for that.

Stepney and the museum should also be thanked for keeping this collection from ending up in Europe.

Bu times have changed and they should realize it. It's no longer open season on Indian spirituality and a revival is underway in Blackfoot country.

And racist laws passed by the white society which forbade Indians from practicing their religion have passed into history.

It's now OK to have sun dances.

So museums like the Provincial Museum of Alberta have to get with the times and let go of their packrat mentality.

Some of the medicine bundles are seen as crucial in the spiritual revival which is helping Native people fight personal and social problems like alcohol and drug abuse.

Museum officials say the bundles can be replicated by Indians, allowing the originals to be kept by the museum.

No, no, no.

If there's any replication, it has to be done by the museum.

As ceremonialist Reg Crowshoe notes "there's not even a word in our language for replication."