In September 2009, twenty-one members of the Haida Nation went to the Pitt Rivers Museum and the British Museum to work with several hundred heritage treasures. Featuring contributions from all the participants and a rich selection of illustrations, This Is Our Life details the remarkable story of the Haida Project – from the planning to the encounter and through the years that followed. A fascinating look at the meaning behind objects, the value of repatriation, and the impact of historical trajectories like colonialism, this is also a story of the understanding that grew between the Haida people and museum staff.

Cara Krmpotich is an assistant professor in the Museum Studies program, Faculty of Information, at the University of Toronto.

Cara Krmpotich's profile page

Laura Peers is interested in the meanings that heritage objects hold for Indigenous peoples today and in relationships between museums and Indigenous peoples. Her publications include Museums and Source Communities (with Alison K. Brown), “Ceremonies of Renewal: Visits, Relationships and Healing in the Museum Space,” and This Is Our Life: Haida Material Heritage and Changing Museum Practice (with Cara Krmpotich).

Laura Peers' profile page

the Haida Repatriation Committee and staff of the Pitt Rivers Museum and British Museum's profile page

This inspirational book offers a fascinating ethnography .., The innovative multivocal presentation incorporates a range of opinions and emotions expressed by named curators, conservators, researchers, Elders, cultural descendants, and artists. The authors demonstrate the historical richness of museum collections and highlight their potential for community revitalization and cross-cultural understanding.

Anita Herle, Senior Curator for Anthropology, Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge

This book offers honest insight into the logistics, dilemmas, anxieties, anger, and joy, which combined for a “bittersweet” experience for museum professionals and the Haida through the six months' preparations and during the three-week visit.

BC Studies