Inuit Rights to Cultural Heritage
Inuit are the Rights Holders of Nunavut's Cultural Heritage
The Nunavut Agreement is the largest land claims agreement in Canadian history. Articles 7, 33, and 34 identify Inuit rights to Nunavut's cultural heritage and IHT's role in the governance of Nunavut's archaeology sites and collections, ethnographic materials, and traditional place names.
The Nunavut Agreement
The Nunavut Agreement & Cultural Heritage
Article 33
33.2.1 The archaeological record of the Inuit of the Nunavut Settlement Area is a record of Inuit use and occupancy of lands and resources through time. The evidence associated with their use and occupancy represents a cultural, historical and ethnographic heritage of Inuit society and, as such, Government recognizes that Inuit have a special relationship with such evidence which shall be expressed in terms of special rights and responsibilities.
UNDRIP was established in 2007, asserting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It received royal assent in Canada in 2021, declaring that the laws of Canada will be made consistent with UNDRIP. This includes the rights of Indigenous Peoples to control, maintain, and access Indigenous cultural heritage.
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
The TRC was created through a legal settlement between Residential Schools Survivors, the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit representatives, and the parties responsible for the creation and operation of the schools. The TRC's final report was published in 2015 and identified 10 Principles for Reconciliation and 94 Calls to Action. This includes calls for increasing Indigenous Peoples access to and control over their cultural heritage and education and calls on museums to help this process.
The Truth and Reconciliation's (TRC) Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
Were published in 2019 to address the devastating impacts of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQ+ people. The final reports highlight the importance of cultural safety, state calls for the recognition and implementation of Indigenous knowledge systems and practices, and the need to support cultural revitalization and language preservation to strengthen communities. They identify how common practices in the heritage sector have, and continue to, negatively impact Indigenous communities.