Roots of rematriation and repatriation

Lara Rosenoff Gauvin, Associate Professor with the Department of Anthropology at UM, is co-chair of the Respectful Rematriation and Repatriation Ceremony (RRRC) and has been actively involved since she joined UM in 2019.

Graduate student Savannah Moon joined the RRRC as a student research assistant while working on her thesis centered on rematriation and repatriation of Indigenous Ancestors. She continues to serve as a student representative on the department’s Rematriation and Repatriation committee. 

On June 3, 2024, the University of Manitoba apologized publicly for its history related to the inappropriate acquisition and housing of Indigenous Ancestral remains, burial belongings and cultural heritage without consent. 

Empowering student voices

Savannah spoke at the RRRC apology, sharing her experience. “When I first became a student in 2013 at just 18 years old, one of the very first things I heard from other students when I got on campus was something to the effect of, “Did you hear they got Indian bones in there?”

Reflecting on how it felt as a young Indigenous student aware of Ancestral remains, Savannah recalled, “Nobody whispered about this shocking truth. It was an open secret. It was something our own professors acknowledged in our classrooms, but said there was nothing they could do.”

Savannah continued to share her story with other students, presenting in Lara’s “Museums, Memory and Witnessing” class. As students contemplated the history and reflected on Savannah’s words, they learned about the RRRC and role of ceremony. 

While Lara’s work continued with the RRRC, reflecting on teachings and truth-telling, she found herself working with small copper plates and rolling jingles until she collected buckets full. With the knowledge the students had learned from Lara and Savannah, they were inspired to join in rolling their own jingles from copper plates provided.

A space for reflection

Today, those jingles are a part of the piece known as Sings the Medicines. Strung together and cascading, you can ring the jingles to create a soft and rhythmic chime that fills the space.

Empowered by her own personal experiences as an Indigenous person, Savannah was drawn to the idea of using art to reclaim space, be representative and foster healing.

Looking upward to the jingles is Savannah’s truth hand-burned into a piece titled We Can Bring Our Ancestors Home, a 4×6 treated cedar plaque decorated with hand paintings.

The two women pondered, listened and came together to create sister pieces—the hundreds of jingles that make up Sings the Medicines, and the hand-decorated cedar plaque We Can Bring Our Ancestors Home complement one another, transforming the atrium space into a learning opportunity and create a healing space on the Fort Garry campus. 

Lara attributes the display as the result of many people’s thoughts, efforts and prayers. “Elder Carl Stone suggested that the Department of Anthropology display text about the history of our department’s exploitation of Indigenous Ancestors, as well as our current actions of atonement, truth-seeking and apology,” she says. “For many years, an idea for a display did not emerge that fulfilled these aspirations.”

For generations to come, students, staff, faculty and guests will experience the space in an entirely different way; a space reverberating with truth-telling and healing.

Pahan PteSanWin is hopeful that her research on rematriation and reparations will be a step toward institutional and structural change so that the harms Indigenous people have faced, and continue to face on a daily basis, can stop.

Pahan [BSW/97, MSW-IK/23] is one of three UM PhD students selected as a 2024 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship recipient.

Vanier Scholars are Canada’s top graduate students, chosen for their academic excellence, research potential and leadership. Students are nominated by their university, evaluated by multi-disciplinary peer-review committees and selected by a board composed of world-renowned Canadian and international experts.  

At the core of Pahan’s research topic, Beyond Repatriation of Indigenous Ancestral Remains and Cultural Heritage: Rematriation and Reparations in the Canadian Context, is the importance of envisioning what a future can look like past colonial violence.

Pahan says it is not enough for colonial institutions holding Indigenous ancestral remains and culture heritage just to repatriate them to descendant communities. Rematriation asks for more, to return, restore and repair within a woman-centered focus.  

“Rematriation is a concept that academics are just starting to explore and what I want to do is elevate that understanding,” says Pahan. “I don’t think Reconciliation can happen when all you’ve done is the bare minimum. Through my research, I hope to make recommendations of realistic and fair actions/reparations that colonial institutions can take to create an environment where Reconciliation can occur.”

While she initially had a different research project in mind for her PhD, Pahan’s work as co-chair for the Respectful Rematriation and Repatriation Ceremony at UM led her down a different path.

“I realized I have to focus on this because it’s very important and has the most potential to make change for First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. Whatever time that I have to make a mark in this world, I want to devote it to that,” says Pahan.

Each Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship recipient will receive $150,000 over three years toward their research. For Pahan, a Red River Métis citizen and first-generation university student, this opportunity is beyond what she ever imagined was possible.

“Every Indigenous person who makes it to the front step of a post-secondary institution has overcome so many barriers that it’s already a success to just put your foot on that front step,” says Pahan. “To be able to do a PhD with a Vanier Scholarship – it feels like a miracle. When I got the news, I cried for two days, I was just so happy.”

Pahan believes that being chosen as a Vanier Scholar is not just an opportunity for her, but a benefit for her community. She credits support from her ancestors, academic mentors at UM, her family and her community that recommended her for the award.

“I congratulate all of these researchers on their success in expanding the scope and impacts of their research programs,” said Dr. Mario Pinto, Vice-President (Research and International). “This funding advances UM strategic priorities for research with, by and for Indigenous Peoples, among others, by providing critical platforms, one of the four Ps in our Strategic Research Plan”.

Dr. Lara Rosenoff Gauvin (Anthropology, Faculty of Arts), Dr. Laura Kelvin (Anthropology, Faculty of Arts) and Heather Bidzinski, (Archives & Special Collections)

The Heart: Multiple Pathways to Indigenous Heritage Rematriation

Guided by The Respectful Rematriation and Repatriation Ceremony at UM and Agvituk Heritage Access and Care, “The Heart” project is part of an ongoing transformation of heritage research, policy and practice in Manitoba and Canada.

This new research infrastructure will include a physical centre on campus and a mobile unit for the repatriation and rematriation of cultural heritage currently housed at the UM. It is supported by a part-time Elder-in-residence and a technology suite for community-controlled work.

Dr. Rosenoff Gauvin

Dr. Kelvin

Heather Bidzinski

Dr. Brosowsky

Dr. Nicholaus Brosowsky (Psychology, Faculty of Arts)

The Immersive Cognition Laboratory

This project seeks to understand how we focus our attention in everyday situations using advanced virtual reality technologies including eye-tracking motion-capture VR and a driving simulator. The research will inform actionable solutions to improve road safety and provide better cognitive health support for the aging population.

Trainees in the Brosowsky lab will gain a deep understanding of behavioural science and will high-level technical skills empowered to address public safety and healthcare challenges in Canada.

Dr. Alley

Dr. Karen Alley (Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources):

Imaging Inaccessible Ice: Glacier Monitoring at the Ice-Ocean Interface

By obtaining detailed observations of the interactions between glaciers and ocean water, Dr. Alley seeks to better predict the rate of future global sea-level rise. 

This project will deploy autonomous vehicles using ice-penetrating technologies at ocean-terminating glaciers in Nunavut in collaboration with local communities. Complementary infrastructure will monitor ocean and atmospheric temperature, as well as ice-front calving, glacier speed and surface hydrology.

Dr. Gao

Dr. Xiaopeng Gao (Soil Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences):

Optimizing Soil Fertility Management for Better Grain Nutritional Quality

This research aims to address soil fertility issues to enhance crop production and improve nutritional quality, thereby supporting Canada in producing higher-value grain products and strengthening its global competitiveness in the grain market. The newly funded infrastructure includes a growth room, UV spectrophotometer, and specialized root-testing lysimeters, enabling Dr. Gao to simulate climate change scenarios and investigate nutrient flow from soil to plants to humans.

Dr. Marcogliese

Dr. Beattie

Dr. Paul Marcogliese and Dr. Robert Beattie (Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences):

Functional Integration of Neurogenetics in Development & Disease

The Marcogliese and Beattie labs have found synergies in studying the genetic roots of neurological disorders affecting movement and will use newly funded automated tools for state-of-the-art precision motor assessment in animal models.

In combination with the newly acquired high-end super-resolution microscope which allows for tracking changes in motor and neuronal function at the single-cell level, the team aims to generate high-quality data that will aid in diagnosis and enable the assessment of drug efficacy. These advances are critical for targeting disorders with little to no effective treatment strategies.

Dr. Mendelson

Dr. Asher Mendelson (Internal Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences):

Microvascular Physiology, Exercise, and Muscle Research Facility for Studying Critical Illness

Dr. Mendelson seeks to establish a UM Microvascular Physiology, Exercise, and Muscle Research Facility located at the site of clinical care at Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg and UM Bannatyne campus.

This facility will comprise state-of-the-art tools to evaluate microvascular blood flow, oxygen utilization and muscle strength during exercise. Discoveries from this research will improve diagnosis and treatment during and after ICU admission for Canadians suffering from critical illness.

Dr. Rosell

Dr. Cristina M. Rosell (Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences):

Platform maximizing the value of co-products from plant-protein processing

Canada is a global leader in plant protein production, however new techniques used to obtain high-purity protein from cereals and pulses also generates copious waste.

Enhanced by this new research capacity, the Rosell lab will offer a unique interdisciplinary training environment while adding value to nonprotein co-products. By improving the sustainability of Canada’s plant protein industry this research will alleviate environmental and economic impacts of undervalued waste.

Dr. Uyaguari-Diaz

Dr. Miguel Uyaguari-Diaz (Microbiology, Faculty of Science):

Promoting equitable access to safe water in First Nations and urban communities by assessing water safety and security

New sequencing tools and sample preparation platforms provided by this funding will allow researchers to analyze microbes and antibiotic resistance in the water infrastructures of First Nation communities of Manitoba for the first time ever.

Studies enabled with this new infrastructure will generate the metagenomic libraries needed to identify clinically important pathogens with antimicrobial resistance in the environment. The long-term goals of Dr. Uyaguari-Diaz will develop new diagnostic tools identifying human and environmental health risks facilitating rapid remedial actions in affected communities.

Insight Grants support research in its initial stages in the social sciences and humanities sector. Funding is available for research initiatives of two to five years in length to provide stable, long-term support.

“These projects will help understand human thought and behaviour and advance the UM strategic priority for fundamental research underlying all advances of clinical, scientific, economic and societal value,” said Dr. Mario Pinto, Vice President (Research and International) at the University of Manitoba. “I congratulate these five leading innovators, whose fundamental threads serve as a foundation upon which future inter- and multi- disciplinary themes can be built.”

UM 2024 Insight Grant recipients include:

Dr. Lara Rosenoff Gauvin

Lara Rosenoff Gauvin, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology

Seeking Rest for the Ancestors Once More: Loving and Proactive Rematriation from the University of Manitoba

Emerging from the University of Manitoba’s ongoing Respectful Rematriation and Repatriation Ceremony, this work will facilitate the respectful and loving return of Indigenous Ancestors to descendant Nations and communities according to their own protocols, laws, and sovereignties. The removal, acceptance, and continued holding of Ancestors by and in Canadian heritage institutions is an undeniable and stark reminder of institutional complicities in genocidal policies against Indigenous people in Canada. With this work, Rosenoff Gauvin and the team hope to not only reddress these grave human rights abuses, but to provoke necessary institutional introspection and transformation that can begin to atone for the violence.

Dr. Chanqiu Yu

Changqiu Yu, Assistant Professor and CPA Research Fellowship, Accounting & Finance Department, Asper School of Business

Carbon Emissions, Environmental Transition Risks, and Firm Valuation: Evidence from Financial Analysts

Climate change is a critical global issue, and there is an urgent need to mitigate global warming by significantly reducing carbon emissions. Companies with higher emissions face greater transition risks to a low-carbon economy, however, there is little understanding on how such emissions information is incorporated into firm valuations. This research program aims to fill this gap by studying how financial analysts incorporate carbon emissions into firm valuations, particularly since analysts often explicitly include both cash flow and discount rate forecasts in their reports.

Dr. Jessica Cameron

Jessica Cameron, Professor, Department of Psychology

Friends-First Initiation as a Foundation for Egalitarian and Satisfying Romantic Relationships

Longstanding inequities in power that exist within many romantic relationships threaten the ability to fulfill their basic human needs, increase their risk of violence and undermine health and well-being. Recent research by Cameron reveals that the most prevalent method of relationship initiation today is transition from long-term friendship, however, this form of relationship initiation has been virtually ignored by relationship scientists. Cameron seeks to investigate equity-relevant factors that different paths to romance nurture to enhance our understanding of the emergence of romance within a platonic friendship.

Dr. Fenton Litwiller

Fenton Litwiller, Associate Professor, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management

Genderplay, gender euphoria and contexts of oppressions: Experiences of queer youth in central Canada

For queer youth, the challenge of living in a queer-phobic society and seeing themselves predominantly represented in trauma-centered ways can constrain opportunities to explore their identities in positive ways. This project responds to this singular narrative by using drag performance as a participatory research context to understand 2SLGBTQIA+ youth experiences. Litwiller (they/them) collaborates with queer organizations to host genderplay workshops in underserved locations in Manitoba. Within this context, they investigate the potential of genderplay to facilitate joyful experiences for queer youth within the context of intersecting oppressions.

Dr. Jieying Chen

Jieying Chen, Associate Professor Business Administration

Immigrants’ proactive socialization tactics, adaptation, and career success

Many studies have found that people immigrating to Canada have poor employment outcomes when compared with those born in the country. This research seeks to identify and understand contributing psychological and behavioral factors by focusing on newcomers’ initial adaptation process, which has profound implications for their employment success in the long run. This research will use a lens of individual proactivity in understanding immigrant workplace experiences to highlight socialization tactics and evaluate the success of intervention programs.

On Monday afternoon, UM President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Michael Benarroch stood before a crowd of Indigenous students, staff, faculty, community members and allies to publicly apologize for the university’s history related to the inappropriate acquisition and housing of Indigenous ancestral remains, burial belongings and cultural heritage.  

The President’s apology went on to say that “these actions broke a basic principle of our shared humanity: a loved one buried for eternal rest, must remain at peace.”

Rematriation involves returning Indigenous Ancestors and Belongings – that have been taken and/or held at UM without consent – to First Nations, Métis and Inuit descendant communities. These efforts have begun at UM through engagement with community leaders and Elders.

“I always tell people that this is painful. This is not like other kinds of work. This is painful every time,” says Pahan PteSanWin.

Pahan is one of three co-chairs of the Respectful Rematriation and Repatriation Ceremony at the University of Manitoba, alongside Lara Rosenoff Gauvin (Department of Anthropology) and Lorena Sekwan Fontaine (Department of Indigenous Studies) and formerly Cary Miller (Department of Indigenous Studies).

In the fall of 2019, the Department of Anthropology reached out to Indigenous faculty, staff and Elders at the university to inform them that the university was in possession of Indigenous Ancestors and Belongings and to offer an apology. They were asked to help make things right.

A group of UM Elders, Grandmothers, Grandfathers and Knowledge Keepers agreed to form the Respectful Rematriation and Repatriation Ceremony Council (RRRC Council) to assist the university and provide ongoing guidance.

“My role has been to bring forward the perspective of the Council,” says Pahan. “I support them, share information with them and ensure their voices are heard. The way we work as Indigenous people is very different from how the university works, so it’s a little like being a translator.”

The RRRC Council urged the university to return and rebury the Ancestors as quickly as possible and gave direction on how to respectfully care for the Ancestors in the meantime.

“Rematriation must take place in our own ways guided by First Nations, Métis and Inuit people,” says Pahan.

The Council also emphasized the need for the university to accept responsibility for its violent actions, commit to truth-telling and develop a university-wide repatriation policy. Since the Department of Anthropology came forward in 2019, both Ancestors and Belongings have been identified in other units throughout UM.

Head of Indigenous Studies and RRRC co-chair Lorena Sekwan Fontaine says this process is part of restoring dignity and honouring the people, communities and nations that have been wronged.

“Both the apology and the policy are essential steps in addressing the historical injustices inflicted on First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities,” says Lorena. “An apology acknowledges the colonial violence, and the policy provides a framework for respectful repatriation. Together, these actions are critical in repairing relationships between the university and Indigenous Peoples.”

Co-chair Lara Rosenoff Gauvin, an associate professor with the Department of Anthropology, has been involved in the Respectful Rematriation and Repatriation Ceremony since she started at UM in 2019.

“I believe that heritage holding institutions must come to terms with their complicities in violence to truly commit to relational repair,” says Lara. “I don’t think institutions can speak of Reconciliation if they are holding Indigenous Ancestors and Belongings without consent.” 

The Respectful Rematriation and Repatriation policy and wise practices/guiding procedures have been created to acknowledge the university’s history; ensure that rematriations are completed; and as a commitment that these offensive practices will never happen again.

The policy was written by a working circle made up of Indigenous scholars, Indigenous community representatives and other UM community members over the past two years.  

The RRRC Council says the rematriation work at the UM is Ceremony and can be an opportunity to learn how to walk together in peace.

“Colonial violence hurts everyone, Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike,” says Pahan. “It robs us of our humanity. We all need a chance to heal from that.”

“I am grateful to the council of Elders, Knowledge Keepers, Grandmothers and Grandfathers who have been leading us—teaching us—how to be in right relationship with Indigenous peoples,” says President Benarroch. “We are committed to transforming our institution. We recognize we must change, and we are changing.”

To learn more about Respectful Rematriation and Repatriation Ceremony visit the RRRC webpage.

The Hope for Wellness Helpline is available to all Indigenous people across Canada. Experienced and culturally competent counsellors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-855-242-3310 or via online chat at www.hopeforwellness.ca. This service is available 24/7 in English and French and upon request in Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut.