Expert Seminar: Indigenous Repatriation Practices

The University of British Columbia hosted an expert seminar on the theme “Repatriation of ceremonial objects and human remains under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” in support of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), March 4 – 5, 2020.

National Chief Perry Bellegarde, Assembly of First Nations, addresses delegates at an expert seminar on the theme “Repatriation of ceremonial objects and human remains under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” in support of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, held at the University of British Columbia, March 4-5, 2020. Photo: Sheryl Lightfoot/UBC

One of the objectives of the seminar was to provide input to an EMRIP report on the theme of repatriation of ceremonial objects and the human remains of Indigenous peoples currently in the hands of state institutions, e.g. museums and universities. The report will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2020.

The seminar was co-organized by Dr. Sheryl Lightfoot, Canada Research Chair on Global Indigenous Rights and Politics and Senior Advisor to the President on Indigenous Affairs, with the support of the First Nations House of Learning and the Canadian Friends Service Committee (Quakers).

The following is a record of this important event.

• • Event Poster
  • Keynote Poster
  • Registration Page (Eventbrite)
  • Event Agenda
  • Video Gallery
  • Photo Gallery (Flickr)
  • President Santa Ono: Repatriating Cultural Property: A Priority for UBC
  • Final Report: Repatriation of Ceremonial Objects and Human Remains under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
  • Media coverage:
    • • ‘We were horrified’: Fights to repatriate Indigenous ancestral remains continue worldwide (CBC)
      • Indigenous experts call for return of countless treasured belongings held in museums (CTV)

Page updated: November 19, 2020