Living mostly in the province of Alberta, the Blackfoot people are part of the four First Nations of Canada. The Glenbow museum, located in Calgary, like many ethnographic museums, holds many sacred objects, including medicine bundles from the Blackfoot people, holy items used in worship. Glenbow began receiving large-scale protest from First Nation people for its display of holy items without consent in the late 1980’s. By the mid 1990’s, the museum began a “loan” program in which the medicine bundles rotated between spending time with communities and being displayed in the museum. However, by 1999, when the museum came under new leadership, members of both communities pressed for full repatriation. This move required a sign-off by the Alberta legislature, who passed the First Nations Sacred Ceremonial Objects Repatriation Act, nearly 40 years after the first large-scale protests had begun of “nothing about us, without us.”
Simon, Nina. “A Different Story of Thanksgiving: The Repatriation Journey of Glenbow Museum and the Blackfoot Nations.” Museum 2.0. 2 Dec. 2015. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.