Buried Truths: Reconciliation through the Repatriation of Indigenous Human Remains and Sacred Objects

Museums have increasingly been exploring inclusion and diversity work and engaging in “decolonizing” educational programming. Complicating this undertaking are the fraught and violent histories that live within many museum collections. The Indigenous peoples of Canada continue to suffer from systemic cultural genocide, as they have for hundreds of years through treaties signed under false pretenses, the pillaging and theft of sacred objects and human remains, and the ongoing trauma from the devastating “Sixties Scoop” and Residential School system. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released a report with ninety-four calls to action that address the crimes committed against Indigenous populations. This article will argue that the repatriation of Indigenous sacred objects and human remains is essential toward reconciliation efforts in Canada and that it is the obligation of the Canadian museums to work with Indigenous and government partners to further the TRC recommendations through repatriation.