Royal Ontario Museum returning Chief Poundmaker’s pipe and saddle to family descendents

Another piece of Chief Poundmaker’s legacy is being returned to his descendents.

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is returning a saddle and a pipe once belonging to Poundmaker in a ceremony on Feb. 22.

Poundmaker, or pitikwahanapiwiyin, is considered one of the great Indigenous leaders of the 19th century and was key in negotiations that led to Treaty 6, which covers the west-central portions of present-day Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Poundmaker’s great-great-granddaughter Pauline Poundmaker, Brown Bear Woman, has been working to repatriate all his former belongings from museums around the world.

“These items, they belong to my great-great-grandfather. I can’t even imagine how many different ways they ended up at museums,” she said.

“Imagine someone came in and took your great-great-grandmother’s personal belongings and put them on display for others to see.

Last year, Parks Canada returned a staff owned by Poundmaker at a ceremony at Fort Battleford National Historic site.

“All objects have life. There’s a power to these objects, that’s why these artifacts don’t belong in museums,” Pauline, Brown Bear Woman, told CTV News at the time.

Since then, she has continued writing letters, making the case to museums and other institutions.

“I think we’ll be busy for a while,” she said

Poundmaker is remembered as a peacekeeper during the North-West Resistance of 1885 and, in 2019, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau exonerated the chief, who had been convicted of treason for leading his warriors in battle against Canadian forces.

As the largest museum in Canada, Pauline, Brown Bear Woman says ROM’s move could represent a turning point for First Nation families across the country who have historic family heirlooms held in institutions.

“When museums start releasing artifacts this could have a greater effect for other First Nation families,” she said. “It’s setting a precedent.”

The repatriation ceremony takes place on Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the ROM in Toronto.

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