A FORMAL request for the repatriation of the remains of two of the last members of a lost tribe of native Canadians is being made by Canada’s federal government to National Museums Scotland.
Chief Nonosbawsut and his wife Demasduit – also known as Mary March – died in Newfoundland in the early 19th century.
Their remains have been stored by National Museums Scotland (NMS) for many years and are thought to have once been on public display as “final examples” of the Beothuk tribe. Their niece Shanawdithit was the last known Beothuk and died in 1829.
Chief Mi’sel Joe, chief of the Miawpukek First Nation which had links to the Beothuk, visited Edinburgh last year to discuss the case for repatriation with NMS officials.
Yesterday, CBC news reported that Canada’s Heritage Minister, Mélanie Joly, has notified the director of NMS that Canada will make a formal demand for repatriation. This approach has been confirmed to The National by NMS.
A spokesman for Joly said the department was putting together a formal request for the remains’ return. He added: “The department is still assembling all of the elements required by the trustees of the museum in Edinburgh, in order to ensure the case is complete and as strong as possible.”
The involvement of the federal government of Canada makes the repatriation almost certain.
While in Scotland, Chief Mi’sel Joe was able to perform an ancient purification ritual, known as the Sweet Grass Ceremony, over the couple’s remains.
A spokesman for NMS said they had been pleased to host two visits by Chief Mi’sel Joe, traditional saqamaw [chief] of the Miawpukek First Nation, Conne River, Newfoundland. The visits were to discuss and view collections not on display relating to the Beothuk and Mi’kmaq peoples.
The spokesman added: “During these meetings, representatives of NMS and Chief Mi’sel Joe discussed the specific history and importance of the Beothuk collections.
“National Museums Scotland is committed to caring for these items with great sensitivity and respect in the present as in the past.
“Representatives communicated to Chief Mi’sel Joe the proper channels through which he could make repatriation requests.
“I can confirm that Canadian Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly has notified National Museums Scotland of the intention to formally request repatriation.
“We have been happy to provide all materials and information that the Canadian Government has required and are continuing a constructive dialogue with the government and its civil servants.
“They are aware that any request for repatriation should be submitted in line with our human remains in collections policy. All such requests will be brought before the board of trustees for careful evaluation and decision.”
The story of how the chief was killed by colonists while defending his wife and baby son became well known after the colonists’ leader, John Peyton, was accused of the chief’s murder in 1818.
Peyton was cleared of the charge. After her son died, Demasduit went to live with a Church of England priest and his family, and gained her Christian identity Mary March.
Even though the people of Newfoundland raised money for her to go home, Demasduit died of tuberculosis in 1820 and was buried with her husband.
It is unclear exactly how the couple’s remains came to end up in Edinburgh. Speaking on
CBC news, Chief Mi’sel Joe said: “This is wonderful news. When they come back to Canada, I want to travel with them.”
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