Elder finds family artifacts

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Expressions of horror and shock crossed the face of Siksika Elder Matthew Melting Tallow when he examined the Indian artifacts in the collection of the Glenbow Museum.

Melting Tallow was physically taken aback when a drawer containing his auntie's sacred headdress was opened. He was visibly distraught and commented, "How did they get this?" Melting Tallow bowed his head and said a prayer for his deceased auntie.

During Calgary's fifth annual Native Awareness Week, local Elders from northern British Columbia were invited to view the archives of the Glenbow and choose articles that were familiar to them to speak about in public and school audiences.

The reaction of shock and amazement was consistent as the Elders examined the numerous articles in the collection. Antionette Van Hazendouk, a local Elder of Peigan descent, commented teary-eyed: "I think I recognize my father's pipe," and requested an opportunity to take another look.

The opportunity for the Elders to observe the collection was an eye-opener to the vast collection held by the museum and the "Through Elders Eyes" event provided a forum for the Indian people to speak about the articles from a different perspective.

"Most of the artifacts were collected prior to 10 years ago from various reserves across the country, and at that time the atmosphere of the reserves was quite different than today," said Glenbow curator Beth Carter. "Many of the sellers felt that the museum was the best place for them."

"This attitude has changed in the last 10 years and now Native people are re-evaluating the proper ownership of the artifacts."

According to Carter the legal ownership of the artifacts belongs to the museum.

"The moral ownership is questionable," she adds.

The mandate of the museum is to collect, preserve and interpret.

"The interpretation component is changing. Years ago the interpretation was from an academic perspective, but in the last 10 years the curators are welcoming interpretation from the Native people."

The mandates of Alberta museums don't offer much condolence to the Elders who discover their heritage and family belongings in the drawers of preservation. A section at the back of the storage area contained the sacred bundles and this area was not accessible to us," Carter said.

"This area is smudged on a regular basis and some of these items are now on long-term loans to the Elders of the community."

The eighth floor of the Glenbow Museum carries the spirit of yesterday's people and chills raced up and down my spine as I assisted the Elders in their journey through yesterday. The rows of cupboards containing the drawers of time traps a rich heritage that has been tagged, numbered and wrapped.