Reconciliation Update

Stephanie Danyluk

An excerpt from the Small Museums workshop visual notes developed as pat of the report.

Moved to Action: Activating UNDRIP in Museums, the Canadian Museum Association’s report answering the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #67, was released September 27th. Alongside a national review of museum policies to determine the level of compliance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the report makes 10 recommendations and offers 30 new standards for museums to support Indigenous-led self-determination in museums.

This was the work of a community, with Indigenous and non-Indigenous museum professionals coming together to speak truth, to share their experiences and to set out a plan for the future of our sector. We have many people to thank and acknowledge, without whom this work could not have been completed. This includes, among many others, the CMA Reconciliation Council; the Indigenous museum professionals and experts who contributed to our engagement sessions, working groups and interviews; past and current program administrators; and the CMA Board.

This report is a living document, and we welcome any comments or feedback you may have. We have taken the opportunity to speak to the museum community following the release, through personal conversations as well as at conferences and workshops. So far, we have heard from museums that lack capacity and resources to action the recommendations. Others have provided solutions in the form of network-building to assist each other in efforts to support Indigenous self-determination.

The museum standards have been set with the understanding that achieving these will take time, respect and reciprocity. To support the work of museums to implement the Moved to Action recommendations, we will release a series of tool kits at the end of November in the areas of repatriation, engagement, governance and operations, as well as a guide for small museums.

Our work has just begun. Looking back at the Turning the Page task force report, released jointly by the CMA and Assembly of First Nations 30 years ago, we see that what lacked was a cohesive, national strategy to action the recommendations, many of which remain incomplete today. Looking ahead, at the CMA, we seek to advance a new national baseline to support Indigenous self-determination in collaboration with national Indigenous-led organizations, as well as others. This takes the form of support for repatriation, the development of a national UNDRIP professional development strategy for museum professionals and support for the development of peer networks and mentorship. Through all this, we will continue to turn to the museum community to inform this work and will look to Indigenous-led organizations and Indigenous museum professionals for authoritative guidance. M

Stephanie Danyluk is the Reconciliation Manager with the CMA, supporting the work to respond to TRC #67 and promote Indigenous self-determination in museum and heritage spaces.