Paper short abstract:

Collections of Indigenous "artifacts", or “Ancestor Beings”, acquired by universities—often without the consent or knowledge of the community—create ethical challenges. Repatriation and rematriation, at the direction of Indigenous people, attempt to address years of institutional colonial violence.

Paper long abstract:

Universities across Canada are grappling with the discovery and possession of Indigenous "artifacts" collected by departments throughout the years, often without the consent or knowledge of the community, including Anthropology, Archaeology, Ethnology, and Medicine. Material and cultural items, along with human remains, have been housed or stored unceremoniously for decades within formaldehyde, plastic bags, wooden bins, cardboard boxes, jars, drawers, and/or closets. Referred to as "artifacts" by mainstream institutions, Indigenous people say these items are Ancestor Beings and Belongings, respecting the power and life force that each of these materials embodies. There is a trend among Canadian institutions to acknowledge the harms and complicity in the collecting practices as a result of colonial violence, and the disrespect and harm to Indigenous people and sacred places. Multiple universities and departments have acknowledged, to varying degrees, their responsibility in repairing the relationship between themselves and Indigenous people, via the development of policies and issuance of formal apologies. Activities such as the repatriation of material and cultural items back to communities (at the direction of communities) and rematriation--the return of human remains to the earth through ceremony under the guidance of Indigenous Elders--are just some of the more recent undertakings by institutions. This presentation will provide specific examples that draw on cultural processes, collaborations with University leadership, and the complexity of relationships that must be built with Indigenous populations to begin to address the ethical and moral challenges created by years of institutional disempowerment and disregard.