Book Review: Indigenous Repatriation Handbook by Jisgang Nika Collison, Sdaahl K’awaas Lucy Bell, and Lou-ann Neel. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada: Royal British Columbia Museum, 2019.
Reviewed by Katelynn Sinclair
Citation: Sinclair, Katelynn. “Indigenous Repatriation Handbook by Jisgang Nika Collison, Sdaahl K’awaas Lucy Bell, and Lou-ann Neel. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada: Royal British Columbia Museum, 2019. ” The Coalition of Master’s Scholars on Material Culture, January 7th, 2022.
Canada does not have a nationwide repatriation law. While a NAGPRA-like bill titled “Indigenous Human Remains and Cultural Property Repatriation Act” is in the process of being approved by the Canadian government, it has been waiting for a second reading in the Senate since February 2019. In Indigenous Repatriation Handbook, museum professionals working for the Royal British Columbia Museum (RBCM) in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, share their knowledge with museums and Indigenous communities to support repatriation efforts within British Columbia, as well as the rest of Canada and internationally. To make this support as accessible as possible, the RBCM has posted the book in its entirety online for free in PDF form and as a flipbook on their website. Additionally, they welcome their readers to contribute to the book with additional resources, case studies, samples, or any other ideas they might have. The book is well written, with an easy-to-follow format. Indigenous Repatriation Handbook is divided into seven sections, with a glossary at the end, along with additional resources for Indigenous communities. The glossary helps those with general knowledge of Indigenous repatriation, but still needs some help with specific terms and subjects.
The individual sections within the book cover a variety of topics, written both for First Nations readers as well as museums interested in repatriating to these communities. The authors take time to lay out everything both of these communities will need to know to make the repatriation process smooth and respectful on both sides. Non-Indigenous readers may be surprised by how many factors go into a repatriation. For example, the reference guide includes a section for preparing yourself, as an Indigenous person, mentally and spiritually for a repatriation meeting with a museum. They also have a section discussing the protocols of visiting a museum located on the land of a different Indigenous nation. For museums interested in working with Indigenous communities, the authors provide a detailed checklist for planning a repatriation meeting with a group. They also include advice for preparing beforehand, such as rethinking the way that ancestral remains are stored. The RBCM staff pull from their own experience, noting that they worked with local Elders to hold a small, private ceremony as they rehoused the remains from plastic bags, wrapping them in cotton fabric instead.
Indigenous Repatriation Handbook is an important resource for all museums, regardless of country, to consult when working with Indigenous communities. Likewise, Indigenous communities will find this book to be a valuable resource. Knowing how to be better stewards to collections is incredibly important to museum professionals and understanding the repatriation process is a key part of that. Using the resources and advice shared within the book will help everyone involved in the repatriation process to fully understand the steps involved, and how best to work through this process together.