A Swiss man who has amassed thousands of Indigenous ceremonial and historical items from across North America, which he displayed in a museum outside of Zurich, Switzerland, is working with a First Nations group to repatriate items to Canada.
The only thing standing in the way is millions of dollars.
Vincent Escriba estimates his collection to be worth $13 to $17 million. In an email to Global News, translated from German, he says he wants the items sold together, hopefully to a Manitoba-based group, to either start a museum in Winnipeg or be returned to the nations they were taken from.
“My heart, time and financial resources have all gone into the museum, which is why I need to sell it,” he said.
Most of the items are from Dakota, Lakota, Ojibway and Cree nations in Canada and the U.S. plains. Some are Haida from B.C.
The Manitoba-based Bringing Them Home Project caught wind of the museum and visited last year to start repatriation discussions with Escriba.
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Cree advocate Coleen Rajotte was part of the delegation and says they hope to hire an appraiser to value the items. Then there’s the cost of buying and shipping the collection.
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They hope First Nations and tribal governments in the U.S. will pitch in to cover costs that the group says could reach $20 million.
If they can’t raise the money, 67-year-old Escriba says he will need to look for other buyers in order to fund his retirement.
Governments, museums and private collectors have faced intense pressure in recent years to repatriate Indigenous items plundered during colonization. The Vatican returned more than 60 items to Canada last December.
National Indigenous organizations are working with the Canadian Museum of History to determine where each item came from, and those communities will decide whether they want them returned or displayed in a museum.
First Nations, Inuit and Métis say it’s an uphill battle to locate and get back what’s been taken but the work is an important step in reconciliation.
Editor’s note: this story has been updated to better identify artifacts pictured.
First Nations Lives Matter
I’m just curious because I was knocked up in my back garden shed by my local priest when I was just a young boy
That’s a good point – as these items are allegedly hundreds of years old how can this white grifting Swiss boy be certain they weren’t knocked up in the back garden shed?
At some stage in the acquisition of these treasured artifacts ( for their sacred value not financial) they have all be stolen or misappropriated. To some people it’s all about the money
Actually wait I’m a complete idiot. Nobody should have to pay to have their stolen property returned to them
Whoever wants this stuff needs to raise the $ for it.
I like to collect. Me and my white trash buddies collect child porn on our computers
Hahahah Oldsmobile parts what? That’s all you’ve got? Man the sh1t you come up with is hilarious. Like how is that supposed to bother me? It only makes me laugh at how desperate you really are 🤣🤣
I also have a bunch of old Oldsmobile parts and a stack of empties that I’m willing to part with. A few extra appliances in the yard never hurt . Maybe some siding ?
Damn that Vincent Escriba is really hot. I wonder if he’s single. He can hit me raw anytime
Lol at all of the white nationalist goofs crying because First Nations people are getting more respect than they are these days. These articles are further proof that white people were the real thieves
That’s right. Give all of these STOLEN artifacts back to their rightful owners
not to worry ,the BC government will give you the money needed,
Giving things to someone, most likely in exchange for money, or as a gift, and then demanding them back makes someone a “certain kind ig giver”. What was that term again?
Well, they are not “repatriating” my Benjamin Chee Chee.
Gimmie gimmie gimmie More, Oh gimmie gimmie gimmie more. Ooyahweyah ooyahweyah, beat that drum! Gimmie gimmie gimmie more!!!
FN has lots of taxpayer money now the chiefs can buy it themselves
Someone actually cared enough to save all this second hand cast offs and all of a sudden it’s worth millions?
Yeah Good luck !
Don’t give them taxpayer dollars for this scam. This stuff was traded,sold and gifted at some point. It’s kink of wired there’s only a few of these items,only the ones that were stored and looked after.The rest ended up in second hand stores and garbage cans.You can get it all on Amazon,use my tax dollars for that.
The ad “Cardiologist: This is what …” is a security risk, says Norton.
He owes them nothing
Why is this group not thankful to the people that have saved these artifacts, they did nothing to preserve their history.
Do what every other group does,and raise the money yourselves.
If the FNs want their trinkets, old shoes and beads back, they need to come up with the money themselves and buy it back.
Don’t expect the taxpayers to fund this.
Half the stuff looks like it’s was given away in the first place.