Symposium Presentations: 

Repatriation, the Replica, & the Praxis of Salish Weaving

During the 20th and 21st century resurgence of Coast Salish weaving, the term “replica” was used to reference Salish weavers’ re-creations of designs based on swəw̓q̓aʔɬ and/or swṓqw'elh (the historical Salish blankets that reside in museum collections). For instance, Salish blankets in Scotland (Perth Museum), Finland (National Museum), and the United States (Smithsonian) are said to have been “replicated” by several Salish weavers. However, these weavings are not “replicas” in a classic definition of the term: they are materially, stylistically, and visually distinct from the work of their ancestors, even as they (re)present ancestral designs in newly woven forms. Salish weavers speak of these weavings in affective, relational, and spiritual terms, not as “copies.” Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) weavers Debra and Robyn Sparrow have talked about creating “sister” blankets, whereas Chepximiya Siyam’ Hereditary Chief Janice George (Skwxwú7mesh) speaks of Salish blankets as “merged objects” in Salish Blankets. Dr. Susan sa’hLa mitSa Pavel, an expert weaver trained by Bruce Subiyay Miller and associated with the Skokomish Tribe by marriage, has described her mountain goat  wool weaving, created for the Seattle Art Museum in 2006, as a “feminine entity.” It is evident that the weavings have gendered and relational qualities that ground their conceptualization, rather than being mere imitations. 

How does re-creating swəw̓q̓aʔɬ/swṓqw'elh relate to notions of repatriation? In the most literal sense, repatriation is the return of a physical object to its community. But, what is being returned (and to whom) when historical weavings in museum collections are “replicated,” and the “replica” is then added to the collection of another museum? This co-presentation with acclaimed xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) weaver qwasen/θəliχʷəlʷət Debra Sparrow focuses on Sparrow's experiences of re-making ancestral blankets. In conversation, we discuss how (re)making is a praxis that (re)cognizes the relationships between such weavings as kin or sisters, and as teachers and knowledge holders--roles that are not captured in most existing institutional modes of documentation. This conversation endeavors to identify more appropriate ways to conceptualize Salish weavings in the language of museum collections and in scholarship, based on those already present in Salish weavers’ ways of knowing. 

Alison Ariss (Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Art History, Visual Art, & Theory, University of British Columbia)

Alison Ariss is a Ph.D. Candidate in Art History at the University of British Columbia (UBC), and a Public Scholars Initiative Fellow. She holds an Art History M.A. (UBC) and a B.A. Honours in Anthropology (University of Waterloo). She centres Indigenous knowledges in the analyses of public art installations of 20th and 21st century Coast Salish weavings. Her research interests include Indigenous women-identified art forms, textiles, museum studies, feminisms, and public art. She has published in the Journal of Textile Design Research and Practice and in Revue d'art canadienne/Canadian Art Review (RACAR), and is a collaborating editor for The Teachings of Mutton: A Coast Salish Woolly Dog (forthcoming).  Alison is a grateful to have been a participant in Salish weaving workshops led by Chepximiya Siyam’ Hereditary Chief Janice George and Skwetsimeltxw Willard (Buddy) Joseph, θəliχʷəlʷət Debra Sparrow, Frieda George, and sa’hLa mitSa Dr. Susan Pavel. Alison volunteered with the UBC Museum of Anthropology for the Fabric of Our Land exhibition in 2017-18; held a special curatorial internship at the Morris and Helen Belkin Gallery in 2019-20; is a humanities advisor with the Burke Museum for the upcoming exhibition, Woven in Wool: The Rebirth of Traditional Coast Salish Regalia; and collaborates with the Coqualeetza Cultural Education Centre to document Salish Weavers Guild weavings.

Debra Sparrow (Qwasen/θəliχʷəlʷət) (Musqueam weaver, artist, and knowledge keeper)

Debra Sparrow (θəliχʷəlʷət) began to study weaving in 1986 but has mostly been self-taught, as at the time she was learning, the last traditional Musqueam weaver had passed away. In addition to being a weaver, Sparrow is also a knowledge keeper and educator who finds great importance in passing on Musqueam history to future generations. She credits some of her inspiration to her grandfather Ed Sparrow, who lived to 100 years old and witnessed the forcible removal of Musqueam people from Stanley Park, giving her "300 years of stories" that grounded her heritage. Her works have been sought out by collections across Canada and the United States. She has woven blankets for Vancouver International Airport's arrivals area, as well as designed logos for events such as the 2010 Olympics and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. She is also well known for designing the public art series called "Blanketing the City" for the Vancouver Mural Festival (VMF). In collaboration with VMF and master weavers Chief Janice George, Angela George, and Willard "Buddy" Joseph, the series incorporates Coast Salish weaving designs across the city of Vancouver.

 Repatriation & the Future of Museums: Letting Go is the First Step to Move Forward

Repatriation is a moral and ethical process of restitution.  This is a social action among living people.  In my experience as a repatriation officer, there is pain (for all parties) in revisiting the harms of our historical traumas together. Our repatriation practice at Stanford University relies upon recognizing that we are not the culture experts in these conversations. Our approach is to accept tribal authority and encourage reconciliation of diverging claims by the claimants themselves. Letting go of authority is difficult for many museum professionals, but creates a productive path forward towards restitution and reconciliation. Taking refuge in the loopholes of the NAGPRA regulations only prolongs the trauma for all parties involved.  

Within this relational and social approach to repatriation, I have experienced deep emotions of shame and guilt and regret as I learn and share the history of how the people and belongings under our care came to us. And, by assuming the authority of tribal claims, I have also experienced the healing moments of return as these beings and their belongings are returned to their homes and their loving families. These moments – the visible relaxation of consulting tribal representatives when assured of our respect for their authority (as they braced for resistance and confrontation), the relief and sometimes joy of tribes as their family members and sacred belongings return home – sustain my commitment to the practice of repatriation. Personal commitment and emotional engagement are, I believe, key to building positive partnerships in heritage protection and education. We must ask Indigenous communities how we can serve those shared goals, and adopt their priorities as our own.  

Using examples from my own experience, I reflect upon future prospects for museums in the care and presentation of Indigenous art in uncertain times and share strategies for continuing this journey towards reconciliation.  

Dr. Laura Jones (Executive Director of Heritage Services, Stanford University)

Laura Jones has served as Executive Director of Stanford's Heritage Services office since 2006 (having served as University Archaeologist since 1994).  The Heritage Services team provides oversight of cultural heritage properties on the University's lands, collaborates with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe and other heritage stakeholders on stewardship of their interests, and oversees repatriation efforts for all of the University's museums and collections. Laura is a senior administrator in Stanford's Land & Buildings division and enjoys courtesy affiliations in American Studies, Archaeology, and Asian American Studies.  

Caretakers of Kin: The Role of Ka'nisténhsera' in Wampum Repatriation

Numerous wampums made by Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) people are held in collections across the world, each one possessing the memory of an agreement important enough to be recorded in rows of shells carefully strung together to be read, recited, and remembered by future generations. Wampums are traditionally kept by a certain family or clan responsible for caring for, reciting, and adhering to the agreement they record. In 2023, dozens of wampums were returned for the first time in over a century, albeit for a temporary exhibit in a museum in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal). The provenance research conducted on these wampums was limited to archival research, and was unsuccessful for the vast majority of them. When Indigenous peoples were forcibly separated from their kin and land, the same violence resulted in the separation of wampum from the people meant to care for them. For the Kanien’kehá:ka, the women (ka'nisténhsera'), are the caretakers of kin. They are responsible for knowing all of their relations and responsibilities - the very knowledge required to return these wampums. Gender-based roles and responsibilities for the Kanien’kehá:ka maintain balance and equal standing between everyone. This presentation explores how engaging with ka'nisténhsera' enables new methods and knowledge to emerge, highlighting new pathways for repatriation research to support traditional Kanien’kehá:ka ways and empower ka'nisténhsera' to fulfill their traditional duties by reconnecting wampum with their rightful holders. The 2023 wampum exhibit sparked conversations in a grassroots collective of ka'nisténhsera' and allies about how provenance research can be enriched by the knowledge held by ka'nisténhsera', and the elders and youth they care for. These conversations and meetings with community members and museum practitioners serve as the foundation for this discussion.

Institutions, including museums, typically engage with Indigenous communities through colonially-imposed governance, such as band councils. Like many Indigenous women, ka'nisténhsera' were removed from the central role they traditionally held when the Indian Act created band councils. These were meant to replace pre-colonial governance systems to become compatible with colonial values, centralizing power, and relegating ka'nisténhsera' to the margins in direct opposition to Kanien’kehá:ka gender roles that place equal importance on everyone. The marginalization of ka'nisténhsera' was further compounded by the influence of Christianity and Christian-inspired movements that devalued women. Archives are an important resource for repatriation research, but the archival record also silences the voices of women and other oppressed groups. Beyond their essential knowledge of relations and responsibilities, ka'nisténhsera' maintain extensive kinship networks through caregiving. These networks can amplify other voices that are underrepresented in the archives, including other ka'nisténhsera', elders, and youth. Using these novel methods and sources of knowledge for wampum provenance research, complex or conflicting views amongst community members reveal important nuances for understanding wampum. Seeing wampum provenance through webs of relations emphasizes the way the Kanien’kehá:ka understand them: as important living agreements made between kin that were recorded for the benefit of the generations to come.

Josie Quigley (Allied Researcher, Kanien’kehá:ka Kahnistensera)

Josie Quigley is a community-based researcher in Tiohtià:ke (Montréal, Quebec), who has worked closely with a group of ka'nisténhsera’ (the Kanien’kehá:ka Kahnistensera) in their fight to protect unmarked burials and find missing children. Josie graduated with a B.A. in Anthropology (McGill University), completing an Honours’ thesis conducting repatriation-focused provenance research on unidentified Indigenous ancestors in McGill University's collections. This fall, she will continue this research at McGill University while earning a M.A. in Anthropology. 

Kwe’tí:io Kanerahtiio (Goodleaf) (Kanienkehaka Kahnistensera)

Kwe’tí:io Kanerahtí:io (Goodleaf) is a ka'nisténhsera' from Kahnawà:ke raised in the traditional longhouse. She is a daughter, a mother, and a grandmother. She is kept busy by her many entrepreneurial and community-building initiatives, which respond to diverse issues impacting her community, including environmental pollution, food sovereignty, teaching and learning onkwehón:we:néha, and supporting other ka'nisténhsera' in reclaiming their traditional roles and responsibilities. Kwe’tí:io is also an integral voice for the Kanien’kehá:ka Kahnistensera, a grassroots group of ka'nisténhsera' and allies fighting to protect unmarked burials and find missing children in their traditional territories. She is an indispensable holder of traditional and community knowledge gathered over a lifetime of listening. She provides a lived example of how to fulfill the duties of a ka'nisténhsera' in caring and advocating for both her living kin and for tahatikonhsontóntie, the children yet to come.

Kanatsut ta slulem cht (The Return of Our Songs)

In September 1926, there were 10 wax cylinders containing Squamish songs recorded in the hop fields in Chilliwack, British Columbia by ethnographer Frances Densmore. At that time, there were about 1,000 “Indians” living at the hop field camp who came from Vancouver, Kuper Island, Sliammon, Homalko, Port Simpson, and many other communities near the Fraser, Thompson, Nass, and Skeena River areas. Densmore originally grouped the Squamish songs with the Thompson and Fraser River materials, but later redesignated them because the Squamish people are Coast Salish rather than Interior Salish. Therefore, “…the songs by Jimmie O’Hammon, the chief of a Squamish band, are here listed separately" (Densmore, p. 255). Densmore’s notes relay very old songs originating from "Chief Jimmie" that reveal deeply rooted cultural practices for Squamish individuals. The songs that were recorded include the following: Song of Termination of Period of Mourning, Song Concerning the Prophet Skilmaha, Song of a Man Alone at Home, Social Dance Son, This Song Cheers Me, Slahal Song (A), Slahal Song (B), Song of Happiness, Dream of Going to Ottawa, and Song of a Hunter. The actual wax recordings are of varying quality but provide amazing information and insight into Squamish songs from the early 1900s. The return of these songs facilitates the return of these practices for the contemporary Squamish community today. 

Sesemiya (Project Director for Xay Temixw and Xay Shkwen, Skwxwu7mesh Uxwimixw)

Sesemiya (Tracy Cameron) is a knowledge seeker, dreamer, water protector, land defender, lover, mother, auntie, weaver, and cultural practitioner. Her rich relationships with plants, animals, land, and water have taken her to the tops of mountains, the bottom of the ocean, fields of fireweed, and occasionally art galleries. Her work has appeared in exhibitions such as lineages and landbases (Vancouver Art Gallery, 2020), Intangible: Memory and Innovation in Coast Salish Art (Bill Reid Gallery, 2017), and N. Vancouver (The Polygon Gallery, 2017). In 2021, a commissioned work of Sesemiya’s was included in the Vancouver Art Gallery’s presentation of Yoko Ono’s Water Event. Most recently, Sesemiya presented her work, "s7ulh waḵáy̓stn iy ta stamsh cht (Our Weapons & Warriors)," at the Contemporary Art Gallery (2023). This new body of work sees the artist engaging the theme of land defence. 

Sesemiya proposes traditional ways of living, knowing, and being with the land as acts of resistance to the ongoing colonial occupation of unsurrendered Sḵwx̱wú7mesh lands. Or, in the artist’s words, “inspiring the future generations of stelmexw to tl’a7ashen ta nexwniẁ-chet (celebrate our teachings that make us who we are).” Sesemiya is a proud member of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nation.

Repatriation In a Policy Focused Landscape

The repatriation of Indigenous cultural belongings in British Columbia takes many forms, but all are confronted with the problems and challenges inherent in the repatriation process and repatriation policy. I offer suggestions for further decolonization of the process of repatriation and to facilitate the future repatriation requests made by Indigenous Nations. 

Repatriation can proceed in a “virtual”, “figurative”, “physical”, or “literal” manner. Moving from the return of objects to an originating community or person through a nominal transfer of ownership on paper or in digital form, to the absolute return of the cultural belonging to its ancestors; each instance of repatriation raises its own possibilities for contention. The goals of repatriation are dependent on the specific cultural belonging in question, the community or individual seeking the repatriation, the institution holding the cultural belonging, and the political will and legal framework providing space for these goals to be expressed and realized. 

In Canada, there are no federal laws specifically mandating the repatriation of cultural belongings. I provide a brief review of the federal legislative and policy landscape with respect to repatriation issues to give a more complete picture of what Indigenous peoples and their advocates must navigate. This review includes: the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (endorsed by Canada in 2016), Canada’s United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (2021), the Cultural Property Export & Import Act (1985), the Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (2015), the Task Force Report on Museums & First Peoples from the Assembly of First Nations & the Canadian Museum Society (1994), potential treaty terms, and institutional museum policy. 

Recently in British Columbia, politicians and public and private institutions have formally endorsed reconciliation. This raises the question of whether reconciliation is possible without repatriation and how it is to be accomplished within the existing law and policy landscape. The passing of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) in British Columbia in 2019 - intended to affirm the UN Declaration, of which Article 11 relates to Indigenous Peoples’ rights to their visual art and cultural property - has the potential to change the practice of repatriation in B.C. This act creates possibilities for the enacting of repatriation law or other laws relating to cultural belongings, as well as for DRIPA to be used as a strong tool in Indigenous Nations’ negotiation toolboxes as its extensive impact on all areas of life under provincial jurisdiction are realized. The DRIPA Action Plan (2022-2027) is policy focused, but there are some stated commitments (such as section 4.35) that could result in enhanced legislation; we must wait to see if this comes to fruition. The British Columbia Government is also working on a Provincial Repatriation & Rematriation Policy Framework. But, it is unclear whether yet another policy about repatriation versus a definitive legal framework is actually moving the province closer to actively engaging in the repatriation of cultural belongings as a significant component of reconciliation. 

S. Leanne Warawa (Art Historian) 

Leanne earned a B.A. in Psychology (1985), an LL.B. (1989), and an M.A. in Art History (2022), all from the University of British Columbia. She started her career as a lawyer in Vancouver in 1989, spending 6 years as a Solicitor and then 15 years as the Business Manager of a law firm specializing in Indigenous People’s Law. She has acted as the Board Chair for two non-profit societies working with at-risk inner-city youth in Vancouver, as well as lecturing in the areas of Business Law, Environmental Law, Board Governance, and Italian Renaissance art. In 2017, she spent 3 months studying Art History at the British Institute In Florence, an experience that led to her third career as an art historian. Although one of her personal passions has always been Italian Renaissance art, she felt compelled to utilize her past education and experience to address issues that remain fundamentally significant in this era of reconciliation (or lack thereof), and deeply connected to Indigenous sovereignty. She returned to Vancouver and completed her M.A. in Art History, with her thesis research focusing on the repatriation of Indigenous cultural belonging. Leanne was born and raised in Vancouver, has two talented Indigenous artist children, and recently moved to the Okanagan Valley with her husband Mike McDonald. 

Toward a National Framework on Indigenous Cultural Heritage Rights in Canada

Over the past decade, there has been a growing call from Indigenous nations in Canada to return their belongings and ancestors to their communities. A focus on repatriation is important, but recognizing and upholding Indigenous rights to cultural heritage involves transforming many different industries. In this paper, we present an ongoing joint initiative between the Indigenous Heritage Circle (IHC) and the Canadian Museums Association's (CMA) Indigenous Council to advance the conversation on Indigenous heritage rights.

In March 2024, at the CMA's Symposium on Repatriation, the Board of Directors of the IHC, along with the directors of the Indigenous Council at CMA and other symposium attendees, established the Indigenous Cultural Heritage Rights (ICHR) task group. Together, we identified steps to establish a National Framework on Indigenous Cultural Heritage Rights to advance questions about repatriation, rematriation, and redress that are grounded in a rights-based approach to Indigenous heritage in Canada. These next steps are outlined as follows: Funding; Engagement; Framework Development; Capacity Building; and Advancing Dialogue.  

Indigenous-led community engagement ensures a national Indigenous-led framework on Indigenous Cultural Heritage Rights. This affirms the collective commitment to advancing repatriation efforts in ways that center Indigenous sovereignty over cultural heritage, as upheld through UNDRIP. Led by the National Indigenous Heritage Rights Task Group, this initiative ensures that Indigenous perspectives, governance, and cultural protocols shape the policies and processes guiding the return of ancestors and cultural heritage. 

We are developing a process for community consultations, roundtable discussions, and support for Indigenous leaders and knowledge keepers to participate meaningfully. These engagements will directly inform policy recommendations that uphold Indigenous rights and self-determination. Investing in this initiative is essential to creating a framework that is responsive, equitable, and aligned with the priorities of Indigenous communities.

Amber Paquette (Vice President, Indigenous Heritage Circle)

Amber Paquette is a Nehiyaw and Métis multi-disciplinary artist, poet, and filmmaker who served as the 6th Historian Laureate for the City of Edmonton. She was born and raised in Amiskwaciwâskahikan. Amber has worked as researcher, storyteller, and Indigenous People’s Interpreter for several years. Her work with the public has centered on the historic representation of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities who have lived on Treaty 6 Territory since time immemorial.

John Moses (Principal Consultant on Indigenous Advisory Services, Canadian Museums Association Indigenous Council)

John Moses (Delaware and Upper Mohawk bands, Six Nations of the Grand River Territory) is a member of the Canadian Museums Association's Indigenous Council. Former Director (retired) of Repatriation & Indigenous Relations at the Canadian Museum of History, he is currently principal consultant at John Moses Authentic Indigenous Advisory Services for Museums & Heritage. His work concerns who speaks on whose behalf regarding representations of Indigeneity in the museum and gallery space, and whose values and assumptions inform decision-making processes--whether for individual ancestral belongings and works of art, or for entire monuments, historic sites, and cultural landscapes. He is a recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal for services to museums.

Forum or Assembly? Governance & Diplomacy at the Humboldt Forum, Berlin

Opening in 2020, the Humboldt Forum was the largest cultural project in Europe, incorporating three museums, including the Berlin’s Ethnological Museum, and temporary exhibition galleries. Beset by controversy from its beginning, the Humboldt Forum has struggled to adopt itself as a space of intercultural and international cultural and artistic exchanges. The Ethnological Museum consulted widely with peoples across the world when curating its new exhibition galleries and incorporated sections that examine the limitations and biases of European cultural interpretation, the role of colonialism in acquiring museum collections, settler colonialism, and debates on repatriation. The Forum as a whole sees itself as a place of debate that welcomes controversies and new ideas, is open to experimentation, and supports a positive, progressive and pluralistic program. 

Since its conception, the Humboldt Forum has supported a core of international collaborators to meet as a preparatory group to discuss, plan, and propose how the organization's governance structure can be democratized to incorporate representatives from some of the communities from which its ethnographic collections derive. It is now common for many ethnographic museums to adopt progressive agendas, but the preparatory group are looking beyond changes in poetics to explore and propose changes to the management and governance structure of museums as a necessary requirement to deep and meaningful structural decolonization.

This presentation reviews and situates the controversies around the creation and planning of the Humboldt Forum, before examining the potential and limits of its current progressive aspirations. It presents the work of the Indigenous and Overseas preparatory group and its discussions around establishing a global Indigenous Council to democratically restructure the work of the Forum and transform it into an international assembly.  

Dr. Anthony Shelton (Professor of Art History, Visual Art, & Theory, Professor of Anthropology, University of British Columbia)

A researcher, curator, teacher and administrator, my interests include Latin American, Iberian and African visual cultures, Surrealism, the history of collecting, and critical museology. Before coming to UBC, I held curatorial positions at the British Museum, The Royal Pavilion, the Horniman Museum, and academic appointments at the University of Sussex, University College London, and the University of Coimbra. I have been the Portuguese representative to ASEMUS (Asia-Europe Museums Network), and sat on the international advisory boards for the construction and development of the Humboldt Forum and the Asian Cultural Complex, Gwangju.

Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Artist)

Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas is an award-winning author and contemporary visual artist with works in private and public collections including the British Museum and Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is currently engaged in a project establishing progressive strategies to include Indigenous individuals and institutions into conversations and management decisions around cultural material in cultural heritage institutions. Yahgulanaas' publications include bestsellers Flight of the Hummingbird, RED, and Carpe Fin. His art is inspired by almost four decades of political experience in the Council of the Haida Nation, a decade as trustee for an internationally active foundation, and an upbringing guided by a lineage of accomplished artists and hereditary leaders.

Symposium Moderators:

Dr. Heather Robertson (Lecturer in Anthropology, University of British Columbia)

I am a biological anthropologist interested in the complexities of isolating and evaluating sex-based shape in the human skeleton. I received my Master's degree from the University of Victoria in 2013 and my Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia in 2020. My interest in Biological Anthropology began during my undergraduate studies at Simon Fraser University in the Department of Archaeology. In 2005, I began working for that department as a laboratory technician and research assistant in the Archaeology Laboratories preparing ancestral remains for repatriation to the Haida, Nicomen, and Tsawwassen Nations. I have also worked with ancestral material from the Museum of Vancouver and Douglas College by preparing provenience reports for repatriation in 2014 and 2021, respectively. 

Heidi Swierenga (Head Conservator, Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia)

Heidi Swierenga is an object conservator specializing in the care and use of Indigenous belongings. She is Senior Conservator at the Museum of Anthropology and Head of the Collections Care and Access Department. She is an associate in the department of Anthropology at UBC where she teaches the conservation of organic and inorganic materials. She holds a bachelor of fine art from Concordia University and a master of art conservation from Queen’s University (2000).