The High Bar First Nation near Clinton and the Ulkatcho First Nation are just two of many First Nations in BC receiving funding for Repatriation Projects.
The BC Museums Association is awarding 25 grants to fund repatriation research and activities. The 2020 Repatriation Grants are funded through a $500,000 investment from the provincial government.
“We are extremely honoured to be able to support this work,” says Ryan Hunt, Executive Director of the BC Museum Association, “Indigenous communities have been advocates for the restoration of their cultural properties and ancestral remains for many decades now, and this funding is such a critical step towards reconciliation.”
The High Bar First Nation will be using their grant to do research on unmarked gravesites. “That projects and several other research projects in the 2020 Repatriation Grants are geared at helping communities better understand what has happened to their heritage,” Hunt explains.
Other communities, such as the Ulkatcho First Nation will use the funds for other types of things such as forming a committee and developing policies.