A professor from Saskatchewan uncovered a significant piece of the province’s history in the Smithsonian collection in Washington, D.C., and now it is being returned to its rightful home. Andrew Miller, an Indigenous studies professor at the First Nations University of Canada, came across a teepee cover that was stolen from the Kawacatoose First Nation about a century ago while researching birds using the Smithsonian’s holdings catalogue.
The teepee cover, labeled “Dustyhorn—File Hills” and acquired in 1926, had been kept in the Smithsonian despite its origins being traced back to the Kawacatoose First Nation. Upon discovering this, Miller reached out to Cory Dustyhorn, the current chief of the First Nation, to share his findings.
Dustyhorn confirmed the story of his great-great-grandfather’s teepee being stolen and the unfulfilled promise of payment for it. Collaborating with Miller, Dustyhorn contacted the museum, which expressed understanding and openness to repatriating the teepee cover, ensuring it returned to the rightful community.
The Smithsonian admitted to past unethical acquisitions facilitated by intermediaries like Indian Agents and implemented a shared stewardship and ethical returns policy in 2022 to rectify these practices. Now, after a century, the teepee cover is finally being returned to the Kawacatoose community, enhancing the connection between Dustyhorn’s lineage and the community.
Plans are in place to establish a museum in Kawacatoose to exhibit the teepee cover, but for the time being, it will be housed at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Regina.
