The Royal Saskatchewan Museum (RSM) has been the principal repository for the province’s archaeological materials for over one hundred years and now houses 6,000 boxes of artifacts along with reports, slides and photos, notes, maps, drawings, correspondence, and catalogues all with diverse storage requirements and considerations. To address these needs, the RSM Archaeology Unit initiated an ongoing project to rehouse the museum’s archaeological collections and rethink our collections and data management approach. Broadly the project goals were (1) to ensure safe collection storage and (2) improve accessibility. Methods include a complete rehousing of the artifacts collection into archival quality boxes, a revised inventory, and database development improvements. Now, ten years into the project, we present the current status of our project and highlight case studies of recent research and future research projects facilitated by the work.

Archaeological collections amassed during the 20^th Century can be left in a state of flux when current stewards are no longer able care for them. Local community museums are sometimes approached when seeking a new, permanent home for these legacy collections. In the past decade, the Saskatchewan Archaeological Society (SAS) has received increasing requests from museums on how to respectfully accession, identify, interpret, and curate archaeological collections. To address this, the Society is working with partners to help improve museum capacity by developing innovative approaches including a commitment to working with Indigenous communities. In 2024, the University of Saskatchewan's Department of Anthropology (USask) partnered with the SAS, the Museums Association of Saskatchewan (MAS), and the Mortlach Museum to pilot a new senior undergraduate course, Collaborative Practice in Archaeology. For the class, students identified a sample of artifacts from the C.B. Forbes Collection currently housed at the museum. They also gained practical experience in exhibit design and program development by creating public displays, developing grade-specific educational activities, and producing a teaching guide for use by the museum and educators. This presentation will highlight the outcomes and benefits of the project as well as areas for improvement.

The establishment of productive relationships with artifact collectors, despite ethical disagreements among archaeologists, is a priority for the future of Alberta archaeology. This talk presents a case study of best practices in public outreach to facilitate the donation of privately held collections to the Royal Alberta Museum, which is necessary to enable their access by descendent communities, researchers, and the public. The recently donated Bob Graham Legacy Collection from central Alberta consists of approximately half a million artifacts from between Paleoindian to Early contact periods. Our discussion of the collection proposes three implications that derive from effective relationships with the collecting community. First, the study of large legacy collections with good provenience can offer new perspectives on spatial contexts not normally prioritized by academic archaeologists. Second, the Graham Collection demonstrates how the construction and maintenance of community connections can mediate looting over the long term. Third, artifacts held in private collections are sequestered away from their source communities. Public outreach programs are an effective way to disseminate access to these collections for descendent communities and the broader public.

Lew Dewalt accumulated his collection around McCord, Saskatchewan during the 1930s through to the 1950s due to extensive erosion in the area. This exposed cultural occupations ranging from Clovis all the way into metal trade points, and everything in between. This paper will examine the Clovis projectile points, and the possible Clovis projectile points from the Dewalt Collection through a statistical analysis and comparison to other Clovis points found at Wally’s Beach in Alberta.

As Indigenous peoples, the disruption felt after colonialism is intergenerational, demeaning, and infuriating. Explorers, missionaries, archaeologists, friend and foe began participating in the removal of tools, clothing, toys, burial belongings, and even remains of our sacred Ancestors. The collection of our possessions, our people, and our culture for general interest continued for many years. The disconnect that we as Indigenous people feel is only deepened by the fact that prior to modern archaeological ethics, these collections were amassed largely without Inuit consent. Artefacts and remains are scattered throughout institutions in countries that most Nunatsiavimmuit have never visited. In June of 2023 I was lucky enough to participate in the Creating Context project that brought Nunatsiavimmuit to our artefacts housed in Germany. While there, I was faced with an interesting dilemma— Am I grateful that we have pristine collections? Am I angry that these collections existed without our knowledge for 150+ years? How do we care for, continue to restore, and eventually begin the repatriation progress? I will reflect on the challenges faced during the trip, the questions that arose upon my return home, and the specific draw to complete an unfinished ammamiuttak that was shown to us by museum curators.

Archaeological collections housed by the Department of Anthropology represent one of the largest gatherings of Indigenous cultural heritage at the University of Manitoba (UM). They comprise an estimated 125,000 items and 3000 supporting documents from over 450 sites in Manitoba, Ontario, and the United States. Most of these items were brought to UM without the consent of Indigenous communities whose cultural heritage they represent. The conditions under which these collections have been housed over the past 60 years make an appraisal of their full scope and contents extremely challenging. 

For the past four years, UM has been engaged in a Rematriation and Repatriation Ceremony led by Grandmothers, Grandfathers, Knowledge Keepers, and Elders at UM. One outcome of this Ceremony is policy requiring that all departments undertake a census of Indigenous Ancestors and cultural heritage obtained without proper consent. All departments must also work under the guidance of descendant communities toward respectful repatriation and/or long-term care plans for these Ancestors and cultural heritage. We present a plan for implementing this policy in the Department of Anthropology at UM that addresses the volume of cultural heritage we house and long-term shortcomings in its curation. 

Legacy collections come in all different shapes and sizes - from personal collections of avocational archaeologists to unpublished manuscripts of academics, and the many incomplete deposits of the commercial archaeologists in between. These collections have long been rendered inaccessible to their home communities through poor documentation, collection management practices, government and museum priorities and policy, as well as a lack of sustained funding. In recent years, there has been a marked increase in high-level government support for repatriation of cultural belongings and ancestors to descendant communities. However, there is also an incongruous lack of support for the day-to-day work of caring for and improving access to legacy collections.

In this presentation I will examine the historic and continuing creation of legacy collections in BC, with a focus on the belongings cared for by the Royal BC Museum. I will also explore the most common obstacles to legacy collection access and share learnings and suggestions that can help improve practice in the future.