Bundle quest leads to tug-of-war

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Furious Blackfeet Indians stormed out of the Provincial Museum of Alberta Wednesday vowing to return with their lawyers after a brief struggle with security guards over sacred Indian bundles brought recently from a Montana collector.

During an unplanned ceremony to "smudge" one of the medicine pipe bundles on display at the Scriver exhibit, museum director Phil Stepney got into a tug-of-war with a Blackfeet Indian who attempted to flee with the artifact.

Stepney closed the exhibit area to media, leaving only Blackfeet Indians and security guards in the room after elders appealed to him to allow Blackfeet holy women to perform the holy ritual.

After the smudging, Browning, Montana Native George Kipp grabbed the sacred pouch and announced he was going to return it to his people. Stepney then stepped in to claim the bundle.

According to Kathy Brewer, a Blackfoot who lives on the Blood reserve in Stand Off, security guards intervened in the tussle between Kipp and Stepney pulling the two men apart.

Blackfeet elder George Kickingwoman convinced Kipp to leave the bundle in hopes of returning to the museum later with a contingent of Blackfeet elders to publicly protest the museum's holding of their spiritual artifacts. Kipp also told museum officials Montana Blackfeet were going to come back to Alberta armed with legal advice from band lawyers.

Brewer said she and the other Natives sere manhandled and threatened by security guards during the foray.

I got nasty," she said. "Everyone was pushing and shoving. All we were doing was trying to keep these guards from grabbing the bundle," she said.

Brewer and the other Natives were escorted out the front door by security in full view of Edmonton police officers on hand in the event of another confrontation.

Museum spokesman David May insists museum security was not beefed up in anticipation of the Blackfeet arrival. However, guards, equipped with earplugs and walkie talkies similar to those used by American secret service agents guarding the president, were spotted tailing the Blackfeet through the museum halls.

Sean Cassidy, who guards the Scriver collection where the sacred bundles are located, told Windspeaker he was instructed to keep a "closer watch" over the display because of the arrival of the Blackfeet.

The 1,500-piece Blackfeet collection was recently bought from Montana collector for $1.1 million (U.S.)

Blackfeet elders from Montana and southern Alberta were at the museum to make an impassioned pleas to Stepney for the return of three of the sacred artifacts.

During a two-hour session with 30 Blackfeet descendants, Stepney agreed to negotiate for the future return of the relics.

Choking back tears, Browning Blackfeet Gordon Belcourt said he is relieved Stepney made a step toward repatriating the bundles but vowed to keep continued pressure on the museum to make sure the promises are kept.

After the meeting Stepney took the Native delegation to view the collection where the confrontation took place.

"They assured me the bundle would go back to the exhibit," Stepney said later. "They gave me their word."

The incident was reminiscent of the 1975 plot by Blood elder Many-Gray-Horses who fled the museum with the Longtime Medicine Pipe Bundle after requesting a private ceremony.

Brewer, who acts as a liaison between the Montana Blackfeet and Blackfoot Indians of southern Alberta, said a Blackfeet delegation is on its way to Washinton, DC to meet with Canadian and American officials who will be deciding the fate of the Blackfeet artifacts.

The chairman of the American Senator Select Committee on Indian Affairs is working to establish some dialogue between the Montana Blackfeet and the provincial museum for the possible repatriation of the artifacts to the reserve.

Senator Daniel Inouye will be meeting with Canadian embassy officials in Washington, DC