ABSTRACT
Chief Crowfoot’s regalia was repatriated to the Siksika Nation, Blackfoot Confederacy, from the Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM), Exeter. The process began as part of the Blackfoot Collections in UK Museums Network, with a 2013 Blackfoot delegation visit leading to the 2022 repatriation of Isapo-muxika’s (Chief Crowfoot’s) regalia. The collection obtained by Cecil Denny, an officer in Canada’s North West Mounted Police, at the 1877 signing of Treaty 7, was acquired by RAMM from Denny’s sister in 1904. The conservator’s role was to support the Blackfoot delegation visit (2013) and prepare the collection for repatriation. It comprises Isapo-muxika’s shirt, leggings, knife, necklace, sacred bundles, bow, bow case, quiver, horsewhips, and pouches. This involved making the regalia accessible within the store, engaging with the Blackfoot visitors, preparing the collection for the repatriation visit and transport to the Siksika Nation, and conservation documentation. Through consultation with colleagues and Siksika Elders, the needs of the regalia were established, regarding which objects should be packed together, taboos about handling the sacred material, and how each piece should be wrapped in cloth rather than tissue.
