Repatriations
The Bata Shoe Museum (BSM) is committed to building meaningful, long-term and reciprocal relationships with Indigenous communities. In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #67 and guided by ‘Moved to Action: Activating UNDRIP in Canadian Museums,’ the museum prioritizes the integration of Indigenous expertise and guidance for the stewardship and care of Indigenous Ancestor belongings. BSM acknowledges their collections currently house Ancestor belongings that are important to their originating communities. As outlined in UNDRIP, their placement and care in museums limit Indigenous self-determination through the continual dispossession of Indigenous communities to their cultural belongings. The museum recognizes that the repatriation of these belongings to their home communities, families, individuals and institutions is integral in supporting the self-determination and sovereignty of Indigenous peoples.
Birch Bark Canoe by Patrick Maranda
The Bata Shoe Museum currently cares for a birch bark canoe made by Patrick Maranda, a member of Lac Barrière First Nation, in 1960. The BSM wishes to rehome this canoe and welcomes requests from Indigenous Nations, Indigenous community organizations or Indigenous cultural centres that would be interested in upholding the stewardship and care of this canoe.
For more information about the canoe or to submit a request, please email our Curator of Indigenous Collections, Justine Woods justine.woods@batashoemuseum.ca.
To visit our collection, please see our Collection Access Guidelines for Indigenous Community.
Learn more about the Bata Shoe Museum’s Repatriation Guidelines.
For more information, please contact:
Elizabeth Semmelhack
Director and Senior Curator, Bata Shoe Museum
elizabeth@batashoemuseum.ca
416 979 7799, ext. 231
Justine Woods
Curator of Indigenous Collections, Bata Shoe Museum
justine.woods@batashoemuseum.ca
416 979 7799, ext. 250
To learn more about repatriation, please see:
Moved to Action: Activating UNDRIP in Canadian Museums
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)