Bii-azhe Ḡiiwé iná daanig (Let’s bring them home)

Abstract

This chapter describes the process of repatriating ancestral remains and associated belongings from the Royal Ontario Museum to the community of Rainy River First Nations (RRFN) in Northwestern Ontario. We offer our perspectives on the process as non-Indigenous RRFN employees who facilitated the return in the fall of 2019. Over the course of two years, we experienced numerous lessons in humility and patience while handling complex and sensitive scenarios encountered throughout the work. The insights we gained regarding meeting Indigenous worldviews, needs, and concerns will be referred to throughout.