Lucy and the Haida Repatriation Committee have returned over 500 of their Kuniisii’s—their Ancestors’—remains from many global museums. In her more than 30 years working with museums, Lucy has seen museums struggle to repatriate and make things right. In this talk she will share the Haida ethical decisions and actions that led to successful repatriations and the ethical issues museums must face in this path to reconciliation.

This is a hybrid event that will take place in-person and online:
In-person attendance does not require registration (and does not include museum admission).
Online attendance requires registration—registration link below.

Bio

Lucy Bell, Sdaahl K’awaas, is a passionate Haida museologist, language revitalizer and Haida nerd with a passion for learning from her Ancestors. She is currently a SFU PhD Candidate focusing on Haida museology. With her at the helm, the Haida have repatriated over 500 ancestral remains, many language resources and some belongings from global museums. Lucy received a BC Community Achievement Award for her work in repatriation.

Lucy was the inaugural Head of the Indigenous Collections and Repatriation Department at the Royal BC Museum. She co-wrote the Indigenous Repatriation Handbook as well as led her team to change policy, care for Ancestral remains in a better way and repatriate tangible and intangible heritage. In her farewell speech, she also graciously called out the museum for racism, launching an investigation and internal work to address the problem. She received the Sterling Prize for Controversy for her actions.