John Moses, former Director of Repatriation and Indigenous Relations at the Canadian Museum of History and descendant of the Delaware and Upper Mohawk bands from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory near Brantford, Ontario:
Discussions of Indigenous heritage in museums often focus on repatriation or rematriation. While repatriation remains essential, Moses suggested that it is only one element within a much broader transformation.
Elder Belongings used during care ceremonies in museum. Image credit: Government of Canada.
Across Canadian museums, Indigenous internships, artist residencies, advisory structures, and collaborative governance are gradually reshaping institutional practice. At the same time, museums are beginning to recognize Indigenous forms of care as legitimate conservation practices in their own right.
This includes ceremonies that would once have been unimaginable within museum spaces: smudging, pipe ceremonies, ritual food preparation, singing, dancing, and the ceremonial activation of masks and other belongings. Museums increasingly provide dedicated spaces where these practices can occur without exceptional permissions or improvised accommodations. Gathering rooms, ceremonial spaces, and even modest kitchens become integral to the care of collections. Such changes represent a profound shift in institutional thinking.
This broader transformation is also reflected in national initiatives such as the work of the Indigenous Heritage Circle and its collaboration with the Canadian Museums Association’s Indigenous Council, the Canadian Conservation Institute, and other heritage organizations. Their efforts seek not simply to improve consultation but to establish Indigenous-led frameworks for the protection, care, and governance of Indigenous heritage across Canada.
The emphasis is shifting from asking Indigenous communities to participate in existing museum structures towards creating institutional models in which Indigenous knowledge systems shape professional standards themselves.
Concept Traditional Care Space, Image credit: Canadian Museum of History.
