Museum to return chief’s ceremonial regalia to Canada’s Siksika people

A MUSEUM in Exeter will return ceremonial dress belonging to renowned 19th-century Canadian First Nations leader Chief Crowfoot to his descendants.

Chief Crowfoot was leader of the Siksika Nation and famous for his bravery in battle and his work to negotiate peace and protect the rights and freedoms of his people.

He was one of the leaders who signed the Blackfoot Treaty, also known as Treaty 7, in September 1877. It agreed an exchange of land owned by First Nations peoples for reservation territory, livestock and annual payments from the Canadian government.

The collection, known as “The Crowfoot Regalia”, have been housed in the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery in Exeter since 1878.

It includes a buckskin shirt, a pair of leggings, a bow case and quiver, knife, two beaded bags and a horsewhip. The collection is due to be handed over to a delegation from the Siksika Nation headed by current leader Chief Ouray Crowfoot on Thursday.

Exeter City councillors voted to return the items in April 2020 but the repatriation was delayed due to the pandemic.

The items are thought to have been acquired by Cecil Denny, a British administrator in Alberta, Canada, at around the time Treaty 7 was signed. They were first given to the museum on loan, before being purchased outright in 1904.

Following a blessing at the museum, the collection will be packed and returned to Canada, a spokesman said.

It is due to be displayed at the Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park, which focuses on Siksika history and culture.

The park is built on the site of the signing of Treaty 7 and is also the place where Crowfoot died in 1890.

The terms of Treaty 7 were later broken by the Canadian administration, further eroding the traditional way of life of the collection of peoples known as the Blackfoot Confederacy.

Chief Crowfoot said: “Bringing these items back home to Siksika is a historic event. Crowfoot’s entire essence is in and around Blackfoot territory and this is where his belongings should be housed.”

Jon-paul Hedge, director at Exeter City Council, said: “We hope it marks the start of an ongoing relationship between Exeter and the Siksika people.”