Renewing Relations: Indigenous Heritage Rights and (Re)conciliation in Northwest Coast Canada
Lead Research Organisation:
UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
Department Name: History
Abstract
From the British Museum to Historic England, decolonisation has become a critical challenge for heritage institutions and for reconsidering colonial legacies in national heritage. Internationally, settler countries are grappling with this issue with a specific focus on settler/Indigenous relations, with applications and implications for heritage practice that can inform and support those in Britain.
In 2015 Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) acknowledged a history of cultural genocide against Indigenous peoples in Canada and committed to addressing this difficult heritage in the 94 'Calls to Action'. British Columbia (BC) is leading the response, becoming the first province in Canada to enshrine United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) into law. This established UNDRIP as the foundational framework for reconciliation in BC, placing Indigenous heritage rights at the centre (via Articles 11, 12, 13, and 31). Yet by February 2020 Indigenous leaders were declaring reconciliation dead in response to the treatment of Wet'suwet'en protests in BC about natural gas pipelines planned to be built across traditional unceded territories. This highlights how Indigenous heritage rights are intertwined with land, resource, social, and environmental justice.
(Re)conciliation is a difficult process that requires sustained effort, time, a willingness to decolonise approaches, and engage with non-western epistemologies, ontologies and axiologies. The (re) is bracketed in recognition that conciliation is often needed first. Preliminary research with community leaders and heritage professionals in BC indicates a mix of hope and cynicism about the new laws: will they support Indigenous rights, or simply pay lip service to the idea?
While aspects of North West Coast Indigenous heritage have been explored before, this Fellowship will bring a new lens to the analysis. By focusing on renewing relations it will consider this heritage holistically, bringing together multiple dimensions of heritage, reconnecting people with places, collections, practice, and environment. The research will explore different approaches to reclaiming, renewing, and (re)conciling heritage, exploring the history of the struggles and achievements that led to this significant change in law. The research focuses on the importance of (re)connections, (re)newing relations within and across cultural groups and heritage organisations, and recognising the role of ecosystems and environment in maintaining and sustaining heritage. Crucially, the project explores the potential of heritage to positively contribute to (re)conciliation and decolonisation.
This interdisciplinary project aims to make a future-oriented contribution to (re)conciliation and (re)negotiation of Indigenised heritage in Canada and its (post)colonial legacies in museums and heritage in the UK.
In 2015 Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) acknowledged a history of cultural genocide against Indigenous peoples in Canada and committed to addressing this difficult heritage in the 94 'Calls to Action'. British Columbia (BC) is leading the response, becoming the first province in Canada to enshrine United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) into law. This established UNDRIP as the foundational framework for reconciliation in BC, placing Indigenous heritage rights at the centre (via Articles 11, 12, 13, and 31). Yet by February 2020 Indigenous leaders were declaring reconciliation dead in response to the treatment of Wet'suwet'en protests in BC about natural gas pipelines planned to be built across traditional unceded territories. This highlights how Indigenous heritage rights are intertwined with land, resource, social, and environmental justice.
(Re)conciliation is a difficult process that requires sustained effort, time, a willingness to decolonise approaches, and engage with non-western epistemologies, ontologies and axiologies. The (re) is bracketed in recognition that conciliation is often needed first. Preliminary research with community leaders and heritage professionals in BC indicates a mix of hope and cynicism about the new laws: will they support Indigenous rights, or simply pay lip service to the idea?
While aspects of North West Coast Indigenous heritage have been explored before, this Fellowship will bring a new lens to the analysis. By focusing on renewing relations it will consider this heritage holistically, bringing together multiple dimensions of heritage, reconnecting people with places, collections, practice, and environment. The research will explore different approaches to reclaiming, renewing, and (re)conciling heritage, exploring the history of the struggles and achievements that led to this significant change in law. The research focuses on the importance of (re)connections, (re)newing relations within and across cultural groups and heritage organisations, and recognising the role of ecosystems and environment in maintaining and sustaining heritage. Crucially, the project explores the potential of heritage to positively contribute to (re)conciliation and decolonisation.
This interdisciplinary project aims to make a future-oriented contribution to (re)conciliation and (re)negotiation of Indigenised heritage in Canada and its (post)colonial legacies in museums and heritage in the UK.
Organisations
- UNIVERSITY OF EXETER (Lead Research Organisation)
- Museum Ethnographers Group (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Historic England (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Collaboration)
- Indigenous Heritage Circle IHC (Project Partner)
- Kumugwe Cultural Society (Project Partner)
- Commonwealth Association of Museums (Project Partner)
- Kresen Kernow (Project Partner)
- Bill Reid Gallery (Project Partner)
- Cornwall Museums Partnership (Project Partner)
- Historic Bldgs & Mnts Commis for England (Project Partner)
- Museum of Anthropology (Project Partner)
Publications
Onciul B
(2024)
The critical potential of heritage for Indigenous rights in the Anthropocene
in International Journal of Heritage Studies
Onciul B
(2024)
Heritages of (de)colonialism: Reflections from the Pacific Northwest Coast, Canada
in American Anthropologist
| Description | The research has identified key ways to uphold Indigenous rights in practice in heritage, including ways or working, governance and decision making, supporting living cultural practices, and changing the way heritage is conceptualised and expressed. As a Fellow I have developed new skills and improved my research methods through my internships and training. I am using these skills and approaches in my project workshop leadership, which is ongoing as I am mid-project. The research has opened up new research questions about: - How to renew ancestral governance, what form this takes and how it integrates with, or changes, other systems. - What the findings mean for environmental stewardship. The relationship between the findings in BC Canada and the international context and literature have been important. The findings and following research questions have been used to developed a new research network and project. I have taken the outcomes forward with a new AHRC funded project AH/X00824X/1 'The Future of Indigenous Rights' that deepens the work in Canada and extends the research into Aotearoa New Zealand. |
| Exploitation Route | The findings will be taken forward by Indigenous community cultural leaders, guardian watchmen, heritage experts, museum professionals, and academics working in related fields, particularly around how to uphold Indigenous rights in heritage in practice. |
| Sectors | Culture Heritage Museums and Collections |
| URL | https://www.renewingrelations.com/ |
| Description | Community members and heritage professionals have taken the findings-so-far and reflected on them in their practice. The first project workshop created a new professional support network. The second workshop greatly increased the community engagement and widened the network, and a number of the participating communities said they will take the toolkit produced home to local government and hereditary leadership to reflect upon and potentially build upon. The following three online workshops with UK museums have increased community access to collections, and informed both community approaches to working with UK museums, and UK curator's practices when working with Indigenous Pacific Northwest Coast communities and their cultural belongings. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
| Sector | Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal Policy & public services |
| Description | Future Leaders Fellowship |
| Amount | £1,530,334 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | MR/X034186/1 |
| Organisation | United Kingdom Research and Innovation |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2025 |
| End | 02/2029 |
| Description | Research partnerships with Indigenous researchers |
| Amount | £349,628 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | AH/X00824X/1 |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2023 |
| End | 07/2025 |
| Description | Societies and Cultures Institute Development Fund |
| Amount | £5,788 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Exeter |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2022 |
| End | 07/2023 |
| Description | UBC-O UoE Joint Fellowship Award for Visiting Scholars |
| Amount | $9,000 (CAD) |
| Organisation | University of British Columbia |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | Canada |
| Start | 03/2023 |
| End | 08/2023 |
| Description | Historic England |
| Organisation | Historic England |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | I will host a member of their Strategy team at the second project workshop in Canada. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Historic England is sending a key colleague to participate in the multi-day workshop in Canada, contributing their expertise and time in-kind. |
| Impact | Workshops. Multi-disciplinary collaboration between heritage, museology, planning, policymaking, and wellbeing. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | MEG |
| Organisation | Museum Ethnographers Group |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | I have written a project report paper to share with MEG members. I have created a short film to invite curators to participate in the third workshop on the project. I have discussed the workshop objectives with MEG and invited the Chair to attend the second workshop in Canada. |
| Collaborator Contribution | They have circulated my call for curatorial involvement for workshop 3. They are sending their Chair to attend the second workshop, providing her time in-kind. The Chair has attended meetings with me and guided the creation of the short film circulated to members. They invited me to share the project findings at their conference. |
| Impact | They have supported workshops 2 and 3. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Radical Collaboration Network |
| Organisation | University of British Columbia |
| Country | Canada |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I participated in two workshops in British Columbia, Canada - one in Okanagan and one in Victoria. I gave a key talk at the first event. I co-authored a SSHRC grant application. |
| Collaborator Contribution | UBC organised and hosted the two events, led the SSHRC grant application, and connected me with leading international Indigenous scholars from across Canada and the USA. |
| Impact | - New academic network - SSHRC research grant application - Multidisciplinary learning across: Art, Music, Drama, Medicine, Education, Heritage, and Performing Arts. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | University of British Columbia |
| Organisation | University of British Columbia |
| Country | Canada |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I brought community partnerships, and expertise in critical heritage, environmental change, and Indigenous rights to my internship with the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) UBC Vancouver, and research networks on the Okanagan campus . I was an invited speaker and gave a talk on the AHRC Fellowship entitled 'Introduction to Renewing Relations' at the Institute for Community Engaged Research (ICER), University of British Columbia, Okanagan. This fed into two new collaborative projects with UBC. I directly supported and participated in fieldwork in Bella Coola with my UBC Mentor, where we worked with community members and travelled with Guardian Watchmen to understand the ancestral territories. I recorded the fieldwork with photographs, audio-visual materials, soundscapes, and digitally recorded interviewees that will support both my research and the collaborative work between UBC MOA and the Nuxalk Nation. I have also conducted interviews with MOA curators creating an set of reflections on praxis at a critical moment of change in Canadian museology. |
| Collaborator Contribution | UBC Vancouver hosted me as a Visiting Prof in the Department of Anthropology. The Museum of Anthropology (MOA) hosted me as an intern. UBC provided mentorship to supported my internship, project, and fieldwork in Bella Coola and Vancouver. UBC MOA academics have actively participated in the project workshops. UBC has provided me with library, campus and digital access. UBC Okanagan has also hosted me, and I have spent time with academic colleagues building networks and gaining research feedback. I was invited to present at the Institute for Community Engaged Research (ICER), University of British Columbia, Okanagan. Their support has helped me develop new research networks that have enabled further funding applications and awards. |
| Impact | - Internship - Public talk - Workshops - Successful grant application and award of UBC-O UoE Joint Fellowship Award for Visiting Scholars ($9000 CAD). The collaboration is multi-disciplinary: Anthropology, English, Environmental Studies, Cultural Studies, Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Indigenous Heritage Workshop in Whistler |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 54 Indigenous heritage experts, Members of Band Office (government officials), Elders and Matriarchs (ancestral governance leaders), curators, heritage professionals, policymakers, Indigenous business owners, artists, education leaders, Indigenous interns, and academics worked together over 4 days to present, review, and refine the research outcomes. This sparked questions, discussions, and a new series of online workshops addressing priorities identified by the workshop. This informed UK Historic England knowledge and Museum Ethnographers Group Repatriation work. It created community interest in UK museum collections and pathways through the following online workshops to speak directly with UK curators about policy, care, repatriation, interpretation and visitation. The workshop raised awareness of different local efforts across British Columbia to uphold Indigenous rights in heritage in practice, building networks and resiliency, as well as inspiration for local innovation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Invited talk at the Institute for Community Engaged Research, UBC |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The talk was in person at the Institute for Community Engaged Research, UBC and live broadcast online. It was designed to give an accessible public facing overview of the Fellowship research, and my previous work that has informed my methodological approach and research praxis. 12 people attended in person - which was high as this was the first in-person event at the Institute since the Covid-19 lockdowns. Many more (30+) accessed it online. It sparked a lot of questions and discussion that increased the interest in the research subject areas and initiated new connections with other experts and professionals that have developed into fruitful professional connections. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://icer.ok.ubc.ca/2022/03/march-10-starting-a-conversation-with-bryony-onciul-an-introduction-t... |
| Description | MOA UBC Vancouver Talk |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The talk was for ~20 Post Graduate Students studying ANTH 518 Anthropology Museum Methods at the University of British Columbia, Canada. The research talk sparked a lot of interest, questions and follow-on inquires for opportunities and connections. The university reported that the students were inspired by the future focused nature of the research projects and benefited from learning about the engaged methodological approaches. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Nuxalk Radio Broadcast |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I was interviewed live on Nuxalk Radio to share the research findings and work so far. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://nuxalkradio.com/home |
| Description | Online workshop (1) with UK Museum Curators and Northwest Coast Indigenous communities |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 32 British museum curators and Northwest Coast Indigenous community members, curators, cultural experts, came together to meet, share, and discuss what it means to uphold Indigenous rights in practice and how to renew relations with belongs held in overseas collections. There were a range of institutions represented and there were guest speakers from: Bristol museum, Perth Museum, Liverpool Museum, RAMM, MAA Cambridge, Pitt Rivers Museum, The British Museum, Glenesk Folk Museum, The Box, Plymouth, Museum of Anthropology UBC, Gitxaala Nation, Andy Everson Cultural Works, Inuit Heritage Trust, Simon Fraser University. The event created a desire for deeper discussion and a series of follow-on workshops. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Online workshop (2) with UK Museum Curators and Northwest Coast Indigenous communities |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The second online workshop addressed issues raised at the first, with presentations from Gitxaala Nation, Charity NIKLA, ICOM UK, ICOM international. Curators, heritage experts, First Nation members, and cultural experts deepened the discussion of what it means to uphold Indigenous rights in practice in museums and heritage. The workshop sparked a desire for more meetings to inform change in how curators engage with Indigenous communities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Online workshop (3) with UK Museum Curators and Northwest Coast Indigenous communities |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This third in a series of workshops brought UK curators and Indigenous community members together again to consider the role of Northwest Coast Hereditary Leadership in upholding Indigenous rights, and answer specific questions and challenges identified by the group. There is a desire to keep the momentum and collaboration going as it is a way to inform change in practice and build relations that support further policy and practice change within the UK museum sector. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Project website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The website has project updates, materials, and is a way for people to participate in the project and workshops. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.renewingrelations.com/ |
| Description | Workshop at Kumugwe Big House |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 40+ people participated in all or some of the multi-day workshop at Kumugwe Big House in K'omox, Vancouver Island, Canada. The event was designed to bring together Indigenous heritage professionals, cultural leaders, and policymakers from across British Columbia and Western Canada, to reflect on what it means to uphold Indigenous rights in heritage in practice. The workshop sparked deep discussion of the history, challenges, and opportunities for change in the heritage and cultural sector. It established some key findings, and we began work on the toolkit that will be continued at the second workshop. We also refined our goals, methods, and outcomes for the project. The workshop was well received and everyone is keen to keep participating and attend the next workshop. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |