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CBC
3 days ago
- General
- CBC
Sacred ribstones return to Siksika Nation after more than a century in an Ottawa museum
Social Sharing After being held in a museum in Ottawa for more than a century, two sacred cultural artifacts recently returned to Siksika Nation. Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park (BCHP), a museum on the Siksika First Nation, celebrated the repatriation of a pair of sacred ribstones, which hold deep significance to the Blackfoot people. The stones were used for meditation and prayer by previous generations, explained the historical park's CEO Shannon Bear Chief. The ribstones' return marked a homecoming of great spiritual and cultural importance, Bear Chief said. Sacred ribstones return to Siksika Nation from national museum after more than a century 5 hours ago Duration 2:22 "Just like everything else — language, culture — that was stripped from the Blackfoot people, [removing the ribstones] was also just another act to remove the meditation and the prayer," said Bear Chief. "Bringing home our objects is also a significant historical event because our spirits are coming home. And then we'll become whole as a Siksika Nation." The ribstones, which are centuries old, were originally removed from Blackfoot territory in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Earlier this year, a Blackfoot delegation travelled to the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa to identify the items and confirm that they belonged to the Siksika people, and to ensure their return. The repatriation was marked on Friday with traditional ceremony, storytelling, performances from local artists and community gathering at the BCHP's outdoor amphitheatre. BCHP board of directors chair Strater Crowfoot said in previous generations, people would go to the ribstones, make offerings and wait for buffalo to arrive. He said their return is significant as a way to establish a connection between current and future Blackfoot generations, and their ancestors. "We can tell our future generations what they were used for, and how they were helpful [to] maintain our life and exist on the prairies by being able to hunt the buffalo and live off the buffalo and live off the land," said Crowfoot. "For us to bring these home and recount the significance of them to our people and to our future, it's important that we have them here to be able to tell that story." Martin Heavy Head, a Kainai Nation elder who was part of the group that travelled to Ottawa to identify where the stones came from, notes the ribstones are just two of many items that were taken from the Blackfoot people or destroyed. He underlined the significance of continuing efforts to return artifacts like the ribstone to their origin. "Repatriation is a lot of things. It's not just repatriating objects, it's also repatriating knowledge, territory. It's repatriating our lives that have been taken away," Heavy Head said. The stones were returned as part of an ongoing program focused on preserving, reclaiming and sharing sacred Blackfoot artifacts. The Blackfoot First Nations Sacred Ceremonial Objects Repatriation Regulation was introduced in 2023, which set out a process to repatriate sacred ceremonial objects to the Siksika Nation, Blood Tribe and Piikani Nation. Several other important artifacts have been repatriated through this process in recent years. A different sacred rock was returned to Siksika Nation in 2023 to be displayed at BCHP, after it sat in a farmer's field in central Alberta since the early 1900s. And a year earlier, the regalia of a former Blackfoot chief was returned from the Royal Albert Museum in Exeter, England. Crowfoot said they're looking at repatriating more items from museums around North America and Europe.
CBC
3 days ago
- General
- CBC
Sacred ribstones return to Siksika Nation from national museum after more than a century
Siksika Nation celebrated the repatriation of a pair of important spiritual and cultural artifacts from the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa to the Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park.
CTV News
4 days ago
- General
- CTV News
‘It's hope for our people': Sacred ribstones returned home to Siksika Nation
More than 100 people gathered at Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park for a repatriation event involving the return of two sacred items called ribstones. Two artifacts are back home at Siksika Nation after being removed more than a century ago. More than 100 people gathered at Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park (BCHP) for a repatriation event celebrating the return of two sacred ribstones with ceremonial drumming, dancing and storytelling. 'With them coming back, it's a sign of good renewal, I think,' said Megan Jerry, a museum tech with BCHP, where the ribstones are now placed. Siksika Nation says reclaiming pieces of their culture is important to healing and revitalizing their traditions. 'It offers a form of spiritual healing to our people,' said Lynden Many Heads, a cultural programmer at BCHP. Experts say the large ceremonial rocks were important landmarks for the nomadic Blackfoot people for centuries. 'We put these all up when we went east as far as the buffalo, especially if we had a successful kill, let's say, and we were able to get our stores for the winter and we knew we were going to survive and were going to make it to the next year, we would give thanks to the creator,' said Grant Many Heads, senior interpreter and education cultural programmer at BCHP. They say one stone was removed in the late 1800s, the other in the early 1900s, and the artifacts eventually ended up at the Canadian Museum of History. A delegation from Siksika was invited to Ottawa in February for ceremonies before the ribstones were returned. It was Elder Duane Many Shots' first time on a plane and a special journey. 'We welcomed them to come back home where they belong,' he said. The ribstones are not the first and likely not the last items to come home. Over the past two years, Siksika members say they brought back items including a headdress and war shirt from England and are working with other museums to repatriate more artifacts. 'It's not going to happen overnight, but they are coming back home, and it's hope for our people,' said Elder Gabriella Many Shots, who was part of the delegation that flew to Ottawa. Elders Duane and Gabriella Many Shots with two sacred ribstones that are back home at Siksika Nation after being removed more than a century ago. Members of Siksika Nation hope the event promotes better understanding with the wider community about what was lost and how to move forward. 'I understand they could be tough conversations for some people in the community, but these are things that we would like to change and promote and help educate people throughout Canada and Alberta,' said Lynden. 'I think it's important that we not only attend these and observe them but really embody them in our journeys into everyday life,' said Jae Barker from Calgary, who attended the event with her nine-year-old daughter, Amaya.
