Paper short abstract:

The Haida First Nation in British Columbia, Canada, has been repatriating their ancestral remains for over a decade. Drawing upon narratives of repatriation experiences, I consider how on-going interactions with ancestors enhances the affective presence and emotive materiality of human remains.

Paper long abstract:

The Haida First Nation in British Columbia, Canada, has worked for over a decade to repatriate the physical remains of their ancestors from institutional and private collections. During the repatriation process, Haidas encountered the physical remains of their ancestors, but also the ancestors themselves: people felt, heard, responded to and interacted with these ancestors again. Haidas' reminiscences of their repatriation experiences reveal a strong affective presence inherent within their ancestors' remains. I suggest it is the continued presence of ancestors within people's lives, and within their sense of self and collective identity, that fosters this affectivity. Looking more broadly, I explore the nature of the relationship between materiality, relatedness and emotion.