Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation repatriates more than 100 cultural items from New York museum

Jackie McKay · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 28, 2025 6:20 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

On Tuesday, a delegation from the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation successful B.C. took backmost possession of culturally important items from the American Museum of Natural History successful New York. 

The items from the Whalers Washing House, oregon shrine, are expected to get backmost successful the community, astir 250 kilometres northwest of Victoria connected Vancouver Island, Monday.

"It's not conscionable an artifact for us, it is simply a portion of our culture," said Mike Maquinna, main of Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation. 

Maquinna did not question to New York with the delegation but saw the shrine successful the '90s and has been moving connected bringing it location ever since. 

The Whalers Washing House is simply a ceremonial operation wherever whalers from the assemblage prepared for hunting. The items being returned include 88 carved woody quality figures, 4 carved woody whales, and 16 quality crania.

Maquinna said helium is arrogant and energized by the thought of the items returning home. 

"We felt that it was taken distant underhandedly oregon sold underhandedly and that we were rather disappointed successful that and hopefully erstwhile it returns that we'll commencement feeling that vigor that I'm personally feeling today," said Maquinna. 

The items were collected from the assemblage successful the aboriginal 1900s by George Hunt, who had a Tlingit mother and an English begetter who worked for the Hudson's Bay Company. 

Hunt grew up successful Fort Rupert successful Kwakwaka'waka territory connected Northern Vancouver Island. 

According to the museum, Hunt purchased the items for $500 from 2 elders portion overmuch of the assemblage was distant connected a hunting trip. Hunt was moving for the anthropologist Franz Boas, who was creating a postulation of Northwest Coast items for the American Museum of Natural History. 

They person been stored successful the depository since 1904.

The removal of the Whalers Washing House was the taxable of a documentary by the National Film Board of Canada successful 1994 called The Washing of Tears.

In 1996, Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation voted to person the shrine returned for a aboriginal taste centre successful Yuquot. According to the museum, they received a ceremonial transportation request in April 2024. 

The items of the shrine person not been connected display at the museum, but a small-scale exemplary was made successful 1941 that was displayed until the depository underwent renovations successful 2018. 

Peter Whiteley, curator of North American Ethnology astatine American Museum of Natural History, said the past of collecting for museums is analyzable but this was a clear lawsuit of the request for repatriation. 

"We were precise grateful to the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation for however gracious they were towards america and they thanked america for taking attraction of the shrine for each these years," said Whiteley.

"It was a very, precise affirmative acquisition each around."

Maquinna said the community volition sermon adjacent steps for the items.