AFN joins calls for repatriation of cultural items from Hudsons Bay

The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is joining others in calling for the repatriation of cultural and sacred items currently being held by the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC). “So as the company is liquidating its assets, now it’s good time for Canadians to gain a better understanding of the history between the Hudson’s Bay and the first peoples of this land,” said AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak at a news conference in Brokenhead First Nation in Manitoba. This comes after an Ontario judge gave Canada’s oldest retailer permission to move forward with an auction of the 4,400 artifacts and art pieces, along with the 355-year-old royal charter that launched the company. HBC filed for creditor protection in March because it could no longer pay its bills The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs first requested a stop to any sale without proper consultation with First Nations. An advocacy group representing some northern First Nations in the province has also joined in, saying its communities were instrumental in the development of the Bay and should have the opportunity to reclaim artifacts. “We have such a strong connection to all of our ceremonial items and we are not going to just sit back,” said Kyra Wilson, grand chief of the AMC. “We will do whatever it takes to get those items back.” It’s unclear what artifacts could be included in the auction, and the judge has ordered the Bay to return to court with a detailed list of what items, beyond the charter, it wants to sell. “To me this is a matter of ethics,” said Garrison Settee, grand chief of Manitoba Keewatinoowi Okimakanak. “This is a matter of justice.” Settee and the other chiefs lobbying to stop the sale of the items in possession of HBC, said there haven’t been any discussions with the company, the courts or Canada around this issue. “They have dehumanized us by monetizing and commodifying our culture and who we are,” said Derek Nepinak, chief of Minegoziibe Anishinabe in northern Manitoba. “And that perpetuates and it continues on into today. “It’s still there and this act or idea that you can auction off the material and spiritual culture of people in 2025 is an extension of that original colonization.” APTN News reached out to HBC to ask about the lobby to have the sale of the artifacts stopped. “HBC’s history is immensely significant and important to the country and the people of Canada,” said Tiffany Bourre, vice president of Corporate Communications and Heritage. “The company welcomes the ongoing dialogue and consultation as it relates to its art and artifacts. “HBC is working with its advisors and the court-appointed monitor to ensure stakeholder interests and concerns are properly considered.” HBC isn’t the only institution these chiefs are appealing to. Woodhouse Nepinak said that while attending the pope’s funeral, talk of repatriation of Indigenous items being held by the Vatican also took place. “Those conversations are, you know, happening. I know they sent us a little bit of a catalogue – I think there was 61 items in there we were looking through – and where do they come from? We know they are First Nations,” she said. With files from Mark Blackburn and the Canadian Press Continue Reading