Sacred Siksika ribstones are back in Alberta from Canadian Museum of History
An important ceremonial object was handed over to the Siksika First Nation on Friday in what the Indigenous community calls a 'profound act of justice and reconciliation.'
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The items returned to the community were Ribstone artifacts, which had been held in the Canadian Museum of History for over 100 years.
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Ribstones are skeletal objects of the bison, which is venerated in Indigenous cultures as a staff of life, a source of abundance, and as entities creating balance in the natural world.
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The repatriation of these objects was overseen by the Soyohpawahko Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park, which ensured the safe return of the artifacts to Indigenous land. The event was punctuated by presentations, a traditional ceremony and various cultural performances.
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'The return of the Siksika Nation Ribstone marks the restoration of a sacred artifact—etched with ancestral prayers—to its rightful place,' said Shannon Bear Chief, general manager of the historical park.
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'This is more than repatriation; it is the reclamation of identity, sovereignty, and spiritual strength.'
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Objects such as ribstones were usually placed in locations of symbolic importance to the community, and many would visit the sites to offer prayers and conduct ceremonies.
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Access to these places was severed after Indigenous communities were confined to their reserves in the late 19th century, said Jack Ives, anthropology professor at the University of Alberta, who is a former provincial archaeologist behind the push to repatriate ceremonial objects to Indigenous bodies.
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Their culture was further assailed by the advent of residential schools and policies such as the Sixties Scoop, which drove Indigenous people away from their traditional practices.
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