QM repatriation agreement with M Vancouver

Jack McKay, First Nations artefacts coming home from Canada after museum deal, ABC Radio Brisbane, 31 July 2024

Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch says the Queensland Museum is working with overseas institutions to return more items to the state. (ABC Radio Brisbane: Scott McDonald).

First Nations artefacts housed at the Museum of Vancouver in Canada will return to Australia following an agreement struck by the Queensland Museum.

In short: The Queensland Museum has struck an agreement with the Museum of Vancouver to repatriate First Nations artefacts held by the Canadian institution.
It follows a meeting Queensland Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch had with the museum last year during a $126,000 ministerial study tour.
What’s next? The arrangement involves five to 10 items that will first be transferred to the Queensland Museum before they are returned to communities.

First Nations artefacts housed at the Museum of Vancouver in Canada will return to Australia following an agreement struck by the Queensland Museum.

Queensland Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch will announce details of the repatriation of the artefacts on Wednesday, as she attends budget estimates at state parliament.

Ms Enoch met with the Museum of Vancouver last year to push for the return of Queensland artefacts during a $126,000 ministerial study tour to Canada and the United States.

The state government says an arrangement with the museum was recently struck, and work will now begin on the repatriation of artefacts and secret sacred material.

The artefacts will initially be transferred from Canada to the Queensland Museum, before they are returned to the communities they came from.

A sign in lights that says 'QUEENSLAND MUSEUM' situated next to a window. — The Queensland Museum holds more than 1,300 ancestral remains and secret sacred objects. (ABC Radio Brisbane: Jack McKay).

It is understood there are between five to ten items, although more work is being done to identify further First Nations objects that could be repatriated from Vancouver.

The government says the Sheffield Museum in the United Kingdom also recently reached out in an effort to strike a similar agreement.

‘Critical step in the process of reconciliation’

Ms Enoch said the Queensland Museum – on behalf of the government – continued to work with overseas institutions to return more cultural heritage items back to Queensland.

“Repatriation of ancestral remains, secret sacred objects and significant cultural heritage to country and community is a basic human right, and a crucial step on the truth telling, healing and reconciliation journey of Queensland,” she said.

“The Queensland government is committed to reframing relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders by moving forward with mutual respect, recognition, and a willingness to speak the truth about our shared history.”

Queensland Museum director of First Nations, Bianca Beetson, said the repatriation of ancestral remains and secret sacred objects was “increasingly seen as a critical step in the process of reconciliation”.

a smiling woman standing next to shelves carrying items. — Bianca Beetson says many institutions are directly contacting the museum. (ABC Radio Brisbane: Scott McDonald).

“Many institutions are now addressing this process proactively and are leading by example in directly contacting the Queensland Museum. We welcome this approach,” Dr Beetson said.

The Queensland Museum itself holds more than 1,300 ancestral remains and secret sacred objects.

The museum was last year allocated $4.58 million over five years to support their repatriation efforts.

Queensland Museum chief executive Jim Thompson said: “Repatriation requires extensive consultation and delicate negotiation over many years.”