Two artifacts sacred to some of Canada’s indigenous people are now back on home territory after a Swiss museum returned them to the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) confederacy this month.
The objects, a medicine mask and tortoise rattle, were in the possession of the Museum of Ethnography (MEG) in Geneva for almost 200 years.
The museum acknowledged last month that the artifacts were originally acquired without consent, noting in a press release that as part of its commitment to restore both human remains and sacred objects to their rightful owners was taking the unprecedented step of returning them.
Mohawk elder and activist Kenneth Dear – one of three men sent to retrieve the items – said he was “surprised and grateful” for the museum’s cooperation and called the MEG “progressive”, without conditions or complications. to return the items.
“It was a very quick turnaround because sometimes it takes years to get objects back from a museum, especially from a foreign country. It was a really cool experience, and I think it’s good for other museums.” There is a model for that,” Deer said in an interview on Friday.
‘Still going on’: Montreal rally raises awareness of crisis affecting Indigenous communities
Part of the Sun breaks apart and creates a strange vortex, scientists are amazed
Deer said the mask was first seen in July by Tuscarora Brennan Ferguson, who is a member of the Haudenosaunee External Relations Committee with Deer.
In November, the committee wrote a letter to Canada requesting the return of the artifacts. The museum and the city of Geneva, which had founded the MEG in 1901, approved the request.
Ferguson said, “The museum was very cooperative, and more than that, they were just respectful.” “(When I saw the mask for the first time), we met with the director, and we asked him to remove the mask from public display, and he did so the same day. We expressed our wish, and they did a whole lot of work with us.”
Indigenous groups plead for return of Vatican artifacts amid Pope Francis Canada trip
Exclusive: Widow’s 911 call before James Smith Cree Nation killings reveals prior violence
The Haudenosaunee Confederacy is made up of six nations on both sides of the US and Canadian border: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Tuscarora, and Seneca.
Dear said the MEG offered to send the artifacts to Canada at the beginning of the year after obtaining a Swiss export permit, but Haudenosaunee elders objected because of the importance of the masks.
“It is a medicinal mask used in ceremonies for healing, and we regard these masks as living entities that have great powers of healing,” Deer said.
Dealing With ‘Eraser’: The Role of Indigenous Knowledge in Drawing Maps of Canada
Google AI chatbot Bard gives wrong answers, sending shares plunging
So, a delegation was formed that included Deer, Ferguson, and 87-year-old Seneca elder Clayton Logan. Together the three fly to Switzerland to retrieve the sacred objects.
“There was a ceremony, and it was all terrific. There was a lot of media attention, and a lot of people came out. Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations was present. And of course the representatives of the United States government, Mexico and Guatemala and the Swiss Were,” said the deer.
Dear said that Logan was allowed to burn traditional tobacco during the February 7 ceremony. Deer also gave the museum two Mohawk corn husk dolls, one male and one female, made in Akwesne.
MEG director Carine Elle Durand said in a press release that she is pleased to see the city of Geneva taking an active role in advocating for the rights of indigenous peoples.
“This return of sacred objects has been made possible because of our relationship with the Haudenosaunee,” Aile Durand said in the statement.
He thanked the Administrative Council of the City of Geneva, who he said “made the process extremely smooth and quick.”
© 2023 The Canadian Press