Museum and Cultural Management

The Task Force Report on Museums and First Peoples. A Report jointly sponsored by the Assembly of First Nations and the Canadian Museums Association, 1992 (Reprinted in 1994)

the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) concluded its public inquiry into the legacy of the Indian Residential Schools system and issued a final report containing 94 Calls to Action. The TRC’s final report covers a wide breadth of subjects, including Canada’s approach to historical memorialisation and the protection of Indigenous traditional knowledge and cultural rights. Under Call to Action #67, the TRC calls upon:

… the federal government to provide funding to the Canadian Museums Association to undertake, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, a national review of museum policies and best practices to determine the level of compliance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and to make recommendations.

The most comprehensive international instrument on the rights of Indigenous peoples. It establishes a universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the Indigenous peoples of the world and it elaborates on existing human rights standards and fundamental freedoms as they apply to the specific situation of Indigenous peoples.

Commonly known by the acronym NAGPRA, this report establishes ownership of Native American human remains and certain other items found on federal land. It also provides a process for museums and federal agencies to return these remains and objects to lineal descendants and culturally
affiliated Indian tribes.

CHIN is a Special Operating Agency within the Department of Canadian Heritage, offers valuable collections management resources to the Canadian museum community and online public access to millions of collections records. CHIN assists Canadian museums in documenting, managing, and sharing information about their collections, which in turn ensures that this information is accessible now and in the future.

CCI Notes deal with topics of interest to those who care for cultural objects. Intended for a broad audience, the Notes offer practical advice about issues and questions related to the care, handling and storage of cultural objects. Many Notes are illustrated and provide bibliographies as well as suggestions for contacting suppliers. Written by CCI staff, there are currently over 100 Notes in this ever-expanding series.