ABSTRACT
Our chapter looks at the role of the Haida Gwaii Museum throughout the history of Haida repatriation efforts and as an integral part of modern Haida culture. It approaches this story from two perspectives: that of a Haida curator from the Kaay’ahl Laanaas XaaydaGa of the Haida Nation who has played a leading role within the Haida Repatriation Committee, and that of a Canadian museum anthropologist interested in the relations between museums and Indigenous peoples. The story of the Haida Gwaii Museum challenges any easy assumptions that being in favour of repatriation entails a stance against museums. Instead, the story positions museums not only as colonial institutions that return collections, but equally as community and Indigenous institutions that receive, steward, and help create cultural treasures. Focusing locally enables us to reflect on the ways repatriation shapes museum practice, staff, and visitors. Ultimately, we imagine a future where the Haida Gwaii Museum and museums more broadly actively create communities through reconciliation and repatriation.
