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Distributed for Athabasca University Press

We Are Coming Home

Repatriation and the Restoration of Blackfoot Cultural Confidence

“We Are Coming Home!” is the story of the highly complex process of repatriation as described by those intimately involved in the work, notably the Piikuni, Siksika, and Kainai elders who provided essential oversight and guidance. We also hear from the Glenbow Museum’s president and CEO at the time and from an archaeologist then employed at the Provincial Museum of Alberta who provides an insider’s view of the drafting of FNSCORA. These accounts are framed by Conaty’s reflections on the impact of museums on First Nations, on the history and culture of the Niitsitapi, or Blackfoot, and on the path forward. With Conaty’s passing in August of 2013, this book is also a tribute to his enduring relationships with the Blackfoot, to his rich and exemplary career, and to his commitment to innovation and mindful museum practice.


304 pages | © 2014


Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures     vii

Acknowledgements              ix

Prologue                              Robert R. Janes

Beginnings                           Gerald T. Conaty

1. The Development of Museums and Their Effects on First Nations

Gerald T. Conaty

2. Niitsitapiisinni: Our Way of Life

Gerald T. Conaty

3. Repatriation Among the Piikani

Allan Pard

4. Reviving Traditions

Jerry Potts

5. Repatriation Experiences of the Kainai

Frank Weasel Head

6. Bringing Back Iitskinaiksi at Siksika

Herman Yellow Old Woman

7. Reviving Our Ways at Siksika

Chris McHugh

8. Moving Toward Repatriation

John W. Ives

9. The Blackfoot Repatriation: A Personal Epilogue

Robert R. Janes

10. Moving Forward

Gerald T. Conaty

List of Contributors

Index

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