The reunification of the kwakwaka′wakw mask with its cultural soul

Abstract

This article traces the path of a Kwakwaka’wakw transformation mask from its origin in Alert Bay, British Columbia, Canada, in 1921 to the British Museum in London, UK, and finally back to Alert Bay in 2005. This eighty‐four‐year journey was highly significant for the culture of the Kwakwaka’wakw First Nations of northern Vancouver Island in Canada, dating back thousands of years. The article also identifies the ongoing obstacles to the repatriation of global cultures to their rightful owners. It argues that colonial attitudes still govern many decisions and that this can be eliminated only through openness to cultural exchange, leading to mutual respect. The Kwakwaka’wakw First Nations of northern Vancouver Island in Canada have endured almost 200-years of post‐European contact and still face challenges to their repatriation processes. Moreover, the repatriated objects in the U’mista Cultural Centre in Alert Bay, British Columbia, form only a very small part of cultural repatriation, a process that also includes tangible and intangible components such as land, language and natural resources.