The T艥ilhqot鈥檌n Nation has co-developed an exhibition with the Museum of Vancouver (MOV) to celebrate the first major museum return of T艥ilhqot鈥檌n ancestral belongings.
The exhibition opened on June 20 and will be on display for about a year before travelling to other locations across British Columbia and beyond.
"This exhibition represents the change needed in museums around the world鈥攚orking in relationships of respect, sharing the workload, and telling stories together," said Nits鈥檌l蕯in (Chief) Otis Guichon, tribal chief of the T艥ilhqot鈥檌n National Government (TNG).
The exhibition is part of a larger exhibit at the MOV called The Work of Repair: Redress and Repatriation at the Museum of Vancouver. The Ts虃ilhqot鈥檌n's portion of the exhibition, Nexwenen Nataghel蕯ilh or 鈥榳e bring them (our ancestors) home to our land,' features a documentary film about the repatriation of over 60 ancestral items which a delegation of T艥ilhqot鈥檌n retrieved from the MOV in February 2024.
The belongings, which a June 25 press release from the nation explains are not artifacts but living embodiments of Ts虃ilhqot鈥檌n ancestors, had been held in museums and private collections for over a century. They included qats虃鈥檃y (coiled spruce root baskets), ts虃i-bis (obsidian) stone tools, and other cultural items which had been largely kept out of public view.
鈥淩epatriation is more than bringing our belongings home鈥攊t鈥檚 connecting to our ancestors, lands, and culture. Our youth see their ancestors鈥� belongings and see the strength of our past, as well as our future," said Guichon. Some of the repatriated items are now on display at the TNG Dasiqox office in Williams Lake.
The exhibition also features historical and contemporary photographs, a display of other objects actively in the repatriation process and a collection of contemporary forms of Ts虃ilhqot鈥檌n artistry and craftsmanship.
"We are hopeful that this relationship sets an example for other museums around the world," said Guichon. The release expressed TNG's gratitude for the museum's, and especially its Senior Curator of Indigenous Collections Dr. Sharon Fortney, for their leadership and respectful approach to the repatriating process.
The T艥ilhqot鈥檌n National Government represents the six main T艥ilhqot鈥檌n communities located west and northwest of Williams Lake.
To learn more about the exhibition, visit MOV's .
