Alder Grove Heritage Society Repatriation, Reconciliation And Cultural Property Policy
Alder Grove Heritage Society respects the history and heritage of our country’s First People, and believes that the First Nations, Inuit and Métis people have a right to be the custodians and caretakers of their stories and their Cultural Property*.
In 2018, the Alder Grove Heritage Society repatriated any Cultural Property it was aware of being in its collection. Those items were repatriated to Kwantlen First Nation. If any other Indigenous artefacts deemed Cultural Property are located within its collections, Alder Grove Heritage Society will take steps to ensure that those artefacts are returned at no cost to the appropriate First Nations, Inuit or Métis people.
Alder Grove Heritage Society does not accept donations of any Cultural Property that rightfully belongs to our Indigenous people.
From time to time, Alder Grove Heritage Society may host Cultural Property as part of, or as a featured exhibit, but any such materials will have been obtained by mutual display agreement from a First Peoples’ archive on temporary loan. They will not at any time become property of the Alder Grove Heritage Society. Any such exhibit will be of the loaning archive’s design and clearly state the identity of the loaning First Peoples’ archive.
As Alder Grove Heritage Society works to decolonialize the story of Aldergrove’s community heritage, it may produce its own materials to include the history of our local Indigenous people who were the first inhabitants of the area. Such materials will be produced in consultation with our First People to ensure an accurate and inclusive telling of our shared history and the development of these lands and its communities.
Alder Grove Heritage Society further acknowledges that it has much to learn from our Indigenous people, and we as a society look forward to taking such an important journey. We are but students learning the traditions and culture of the First People, and this document is thus in a fluid state, to be updated as warranted in regards to future practices and acknowledgements in partnership with our First Nations, Inuit and Métis people.
For more information about our Repatriation And Cultural Property Policy, you can contact Tami Quiring by telephone at 604.835.3627 or by email
* Cultural Property is defined as –“material cultural artifacts and the ideas and rights that govern their production use and ownership” – Tessa Berman “Beyond the Museum: The Politics of Representation in Asserting Rights to Cultural Properties” Museum Anthropology Vol. 21, No. 3 (Winter: 1997). pg. 19
** The logo for the Repatriation Call to Action was created by Sarah Jim, an emerging artist of mixed ancestry and a member of the W̱SÁNEĆ nation from the Tseycum village. She holds a BFA from UVIC and conducts environmental restoration on her ancestral territory. Creating placebased artwork of her homelands and waters allows her to educate others about the importance of native plant food systems and coastal medicines in relation to the ecosystem and W̱SÁNEĆ culture.
Sarah explains the elements used in the logo; “The moon and stars are ubiquitous entities that hold so much meaning for many. A moon in transition symbolizes the act of repatriation; communities are becoming whole again by receiving what truly belongs to them. The surrounding plants represent good medicine for this phase in life and stars are meant to give good wishes and represent ancestors.” Used with permission.