1999–2000 Annual Report - Canadian Museum of Civilization

Research and Collections
The Research and Collections Branch of the Canadian
Museum of Civilization includes numerous divisions
devoted to research, collections management, archives,
publishing and more. Highlights for the past year
include:
Canadian anadian E EEthnology
E thnology S SSer
S er ervice er vice
• Research by CMC staff on topics such as
Athapaskan clothing, Eastern Woodlands
quillwork, Mi’kmaq basketry, Northwest Coast
contemporary craft, Northwest Coast basketry,
Plains childrearing practices, aboriginal fisheries
and more.
• Research by aboriginal visitors on topics such as
Tsimshian basketry, Algonquin history,
cradleboards and more.
• A book based on the CMC-produced exhibition
Iqqaipaa, entitled Celebrating Inuit Art, 1948–
1970.
• Articles by CMC staff in numerous scholarly and
consumer publications, and lectures at
conferences across Canada.
• Continuation of the Sacred Materials project,
which enables First Peoples to review CMC
collections related to their peoples, and allows
them an opportunity to indicate materials which
require special care or handling and ceremonial
acknowledgement. Repatriation requests for
human remains and sacred objects were also
honoured, with ceremonies held at the CMC and
in the respective First Peoples communities.
In July 1999, Ida Calmegane (left) and Clara Schinkel, elders of
the Carcross-Tagish First Nation, visited the CMC in order to
escort two grave boxes repatriated by the Museum to their
community of origin. Here the two elders are shown viewing
clothing in the CMC collection.
Photo: J. Thompson
28
• Ongoing participation in repatriation discussions
associated with treaty negotiations for several First
Nations.
Ar Archaeological Ar chaeological S SSur
S ur urvey ur y of of of C CCanada
C Canada
anada
• Fundamental research on the early history of
Canada, including the noteworthy discovery by
associate curator Patricia Sutherland of a strand of
spun yarn from a Dorset culture site, which appears
to be of Norse manufacture — indicating possible
contact between Europeans and people of the Arctic
long before Cabot or Cartier.
Three-metre length of spun and plied yarn made from fur of the
Arctic hare. Nunguvik site, northern Baffin Island.
Photo: H. Foster
• Ongoing participation in First Nation’s repatriation
discussions associated with both treaty negotiations
and human remains repatriation requests. Of special
note is a large request coming from the Haida First
Nation, involving the remains of more than 150
individuals from Haida Gwaii.
• Ongoing participation in the exhibition development,
particularly with reference to First Peoples Hall and
Inuit and Englishmen.
• The Yukon Beringia Research Award was given to
staff archaeologist Richard Morlan, in recognition of
25 years of research into the very early history of
Beringia (the lost land bridge between eastern Asia
and North America).
• Publication of 20 articles of a scholarly nature.
• 17 papers presented at professional conferences or
symposia within Canada, and eight papers presented
abroad.