Manitoba Museum apologizes for keeping Indigenous ancestral remains in collections

CBC News

· Posted: May 22, 2025 4:14 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

The Manitoba Museum has issued a ceremonial apology to First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities for keeping remains and associated belongings successful its collections, promising the depository volition ne'er judge quality remains again.

The apology, which a depository quality merchandise said was fixed by CEO Dorota Blumczyńska astatine a closed ceremonial and gathering Thursday that included Indigenous leaders and elders, said the depository "sincerely and profoundly" regrets having the items successful its collections for decades.

"The Manitoba Museum afloat understands our work to code this unspeakable legacy," the apology, which was posted online, reads successful part.

"We admit that this apology is lone the archetypal measurement of galore actions we indispensable take, knowing that large attraction and galore years volition beryllium needed to guarantee that the Ancestors are returned to their communities according to the wishes of those communities."

The apology is portion of what the depository calls its Homeward Journey project, which began successful 2022 to effort to place and instrumentality the remains successful the museum's collections to their communities. 

The process, which is expected to instrumentality respective years, is being guided by an Indigenous advisory ellipse and done with a spiritual advisor's blessing, the merchandise said. 

"This is truthful agelong overdue, and it's intolerable to truly explicit into words however profound the regret is," Blumczyńska told CBC's Up to Speed host Faith Fundal Thursday.

"As overmuch arsenic I privation we would ne'er beryllium wherever we are today, we cannot alteration the past. But we are, however, liable for everything that we bash with respect to the future."

Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson said portion it's "hurtful" to perceive astir remains being stored successful an instauration similar a museum, she was grateful for Thursday's apology.

"What we're seeing contiguous is, you know, designation and acknowledgement to the wrongs of the past," Wilson said successful an interview. "I admit the museum's apology today, and we're going to enactment unneurotic and locomotion unneurotic connected however we are going to close those wrongs, and however bash we determination guardant together?"

Raymond Frogner, manager of probe and caput of archives for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, said portion the process to instrumentality the remains and belongings to their assemblage "could person happened decades ago," helium was besides satisfied to perceive the update.

"There needs to beryllium an apology — there needs to beryllium a designation of what's occurred successful the past, earlier we tin spell guardant with the caller model. Otherwise, you know, the bitterness and distrust volition remain," Frogner said successful an interview. 

"Without these kinds of acknowledgements of what's happened, it's intolerable to determination forward, I believe."

Manitoba Métis Federation President David Chartrand said portion the federation was invited to Thursday's ceremony, they decided not to be successful portion due to the fact that of frustrations implicit however the depository dealt with a onshore acknowledgement contented the federation raised recently.

Remains of implicit 40 people

Many of the remains were taken from burial sites by archaeologists successful the aboriginal 20th century, erstwhile museums were "common repositories" for archaeological and humanities projects, the museum's website says. In immoderate cases, they were unintentionally discovered by members of the nationalist and brought to the museum.

The Manitoba Museum stopped accepting remains implicit 50 years agone — the astir precocious arrived remains came successful 1965, the website says.

The remains being housed astatine the depository are believed to beryllium to conscionable implicit 40 people, and besides see immoderate items that whitethorn beryllium related to burial sites, including mundane items similar tools, pottery and "adornments," the website says.

The remains see children and aged people, and astir look to person been buried wrong the past 500 years. None were recovered astatine oregon adjacent erstwhile residential schoolhouse sites, the museum's website says.

Most are from confederate Manitoba oregon the province's Interlake area, portion 2 are from bluish Manitoba and a tiny fig came from extracurricular the state — including 4 perchance from the U.S. The depository is researching to find which communities to interaction astir returning the remains. 

Museum CEO Blumczyńska said that enactment is analyzable and involves "trying to larn astir each and each azygous ancestor successful a mode that adheres to assemblage wishes and protocols and is precise respectful."

"We are astatine a constituent wherever we are acceptable to interaction galore of the kinship communities and statesman to physique relationships and physique spot and rebuild trust, and repair these relationships truthful that we tin adhere to each of their wishes and their readiness and past bring their ancestors home."

Though successful the past, the remains and belongings were housed successful the museum's archaeology collections area, and for a abbreviated clip astatine a section university, they are present temporarily being kept successful 2 secure, backstage and restricted areas that person been smudged by a spiritual advisor, the museum's website says. 

The remains and belongings are wrapped successful cloth and resting successful cedar boxes with the 4 medicines: tobacco, sweetgrass, sage and cedar.