Sacred returns: the repatriation of Indigenous heritage – Canadian Geographic

May 12, 2025

As the Hudson’s Bay Company winds down its operations amid bankruptcy proceedings, concern is growing over the future of its vast collection of artworks and artifacts. This reiterates the long-standing question: who owns the past?

The April 2025 announcement that the 355-year-old company, which initiated the Fur Trade and subsequent colonization of what’s now called Canada, would be auctioning off its collection of 4,400 nationally significant items has landed the former retail giant amid the ongoing discourse around repatriation of Indigenous cultural artifacts.

In a statement published May 1, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, along with the Assembly of First Nations and Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO), called for the immediate return of any sacred cultural artifacts held in Hudson’s Bay Company’s collection.

Read More: https://canadiangeographic.ca/articles/sacred-returns-the-repatriation-of-indigenous-heritage/