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Indigenous Repatriation Handbook

“With 34 unique Indigenous language and cultural groups in BC, this handbook seeks to provide practical information that will enable each group to carry out the process of repatriation in ways that align with the cultural traditions of each respective community, while also providing information that will be helpful to museums…

 

To repatriate something is to return it to the country of its origin. For museums, repatriation applies more specifically to the return of human remains and cultural objects to Indigenous communities. Because the process of repatriation is different in each instance, we envision that this handbook will continue to evolve and transform as newer practices, policies and processes are developed.

 

The content of this first edition is based on the knowledge and experiences of a number of Indigenous communities in BC, as well as staff of the Royal BC Museum, who collectively have been working on repatriation for the past 30 or more years. The handbook is meant to serve as a reference and is not intended to be prescriptive; rather, it provides guidance on activities related to the process of repatriation.”