Canadian Museum of History returns artifacts to northern Ont. First Nation
For decades, Mississauga First Nation has known that human remains from their land were at the Canadian Museum of History.
On Monday, they were returned to their original -- and final -- place of rest.
"There (were) no agreements or any kind of, legislation to say that when they came across an artifact, they were to stop digging and inform the First Nation," said Wilma Bissiallon of Mississauga First Nation.
"It was probably in the late '80s when we started talking about repatriation of our artifacts.”
The artifacts came from a settlement on the west bank of the Mississagi River, now the municipally run Huron Pines Golf Club.
In recent months, the Town of Blind River allowed the First Nation to fence off burial sites, with the recovered human remains set to be buried on site once again.
"I've learned so much about our First Nation communities and the situation at the golf course," said Blind River Mayor Sally Hagman.
For decades, Mississauga First Nation has known that human remains from their land were at the Canadian Museum of History. On Monday, they were returned to their original -- and final -- place of rest. (Photo from video)
"And once we found out what was happening or what had happened in the past, we wanted to do everything possible to make things right."
In total, eight boxes of artifacts have been returned from the Canadian Museum of History, with First Nation officials saying more will be repatriated in time.
"It's very important," said Bissiallon.
"It's the recognition that the First Nations do have the responsibility of having those artifacts and the remains of our ancestors back home, because then we could put them to rest.”
- Download the CTV News app now
- Get local breaking news alerts
- Daily newsletter with the top local stories emailed to your inbox
Eventually, Mississauga First Nation hopes to display the artifacts in their own community, and also form an agreement with the Canadian Museum of History to lend out some items for specific exhibits.
First Nation officials are confident both the museum and Blind River will support any future repatriation efforts.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harris concedes to Trump in post-election speech
Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris publicly conceded the U.S. presidential election after calling Donald Trump earlier on Wednesday to congratulate the Republican leader on his win.
Donald Trump wins U.S. presidential election, Harris concedes in speech about democracy
Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, an extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts.
'Canada will be absolutely fine': Justin Trudeau, his ministers and Pierre Poilievre congratulate Donald Trump
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of his cabinet congratulated Donald Trump Wednesday morning on his second United States presidential election win, amid questions about how the federal government intends to navigate a second term.
4 ways in which Donald Trump's election was historic
Donald Trump's election victory was history-making in several respects, even as his defeat of U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris prevented other firsts. She would have been the nation's first Black and South Asian woman to be president.
What might Donald Trump's election win mean for Canadians
Following president-elect Donald Trump's decisive election victory, there are sure to be significant knock-on effects for Canada. Here's a look at the different areas in which a second Trump presidency may affect Canadians.
BREAKING U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris concedes election to president-elect Donald Trump
Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris has conceded the U.S. election to Republican Donald Trump.
Who won the popular vote? U.S. election vote totals from the past 40 years
Donald Trump won the U.S. presidency on Tuesday, and as of Wednesday morning, was also ahead in the popular vote. Historically, though, the candidate with the most votes hasn’t always won the contest.
Canada orders wind up of TikTok's Canadian business, app access to continue
Canada on Wednesday ordered the wind up of TikTok's business in the country, citing national security risks.
Kingston, Ont. doctor fighting OHIP clawback of $660K in pandemic vaccination payments
A Kingston doctor is in a dispute with the Ontario Ministry of Health, which is trying to clawback more than $600,000 in OHIP payments.