Museum buys cartoon

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A controversial cartoon labelled "racist" by the Alberta Press Council has been purchased by the Glenbow Museum archives.

The cartoon, published in an October edition of the Calgary Herald and drawn by Vance Rodewalt depicted a Lubicon "camp fire" scene when an Elder was instructing a youngster. The carton included references to the sacred pipe, fermented blueberries and "white consultants" who manipulate Native people.

However, Glenbow's chief archivist Anthony Reese says the ruling had no affect on the museum's decision to purchase the original pen and ink drawing.

"We bought the drawing before the press council decision," he said in an interview from his Calgary office. "We felt it expressed a point of view."

However, Reese will not say how much the museum paid for the piece saying the cartoon was purchased with privately donated funds from the Glenbow Acquisitions Society.

Assistant director of finance, Joe Conrad confirmed that the acquisitions society is a separate corporation that raises funds through bingos and donations from the private sector.

However, Reese says if the public hopes to see the cartoon on display in the museum they will be disappointed as the artwork will be kept in the archives.

"We collect things that we think will be of interest to the public in a hundred years time," he said. "Right now we have it in our files."

Acquisitions chairman, Calgary lawyer John Armstrong was unavailable for comment at press time.