B.C. First Nation celebrates return of artifacts, resilience of culture
PORT ALBERNI, B.C. — A five-metre-wide painted wood screen and 37 hand-carved birds are among a collection of artwork returned to a First Nation after more than a century in the Royal B.C. Museum.
Huu-ay-aht First Nation on Vancouver Island is celebrating the repatriation of their cultural treasures, an act Chief Councillor Robert Dennis Sr. says proves that historic practices to erase indigenous cultures were resisted.
“We’re resilient, we’re strong and our culture is still alive,” Dennis said in an interview.
The transfer of 17 sets of artifacts from the museum to the Huu-ay-aht on Friday is a result of a 2011 agreement reached between Maa-nulth First Nations and provincial and federal governments outlining rights to land, resources and other property, including cultural artifacts.