Peterborough Museum & Archives Recognized By the Canadian Museums Association With National Award

The Peterborough Museum & Archives has been recognized with the Canadian Museums Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Exhibitions category for “To Honour and Respect: Gifts from the Michi Saagiig Women to the Prince of Wales, 1860” (April to November 2023) announced on Thursday.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The award was presented at a ceremony held on Wednesday.

The exhibition “To Honour and Respect” featured 13 quilled wiigwassii makakoon (birch bark baskets) lent by His Majesty The King from the Royal Collection in the United Kingdom. The makakoon were created by highly skilled women of what is now Hiawatha First Nation. The stunning makakoon were gifts to the Prince of Wales on Sept. 7, 1860, when he visited Hiawatha as part of a cross-Canada royal tour.

The many visitors admired the beautiful quillwork and explored the cultural knowledge, love, respect, and diplomacy that went into the makakoon, reflecting on Michi Saagiig and settler histories in the region. Indigenous-led programming included gallery tours, workshops on quillwork provided by Hiawatha First Nation artist Sandra Moore, and sessions on Michi Saagiig language provided by Curve Lake First Nation member Jonathan Taylor.

“Congratulations to the entire team at the Peterborough Museum & Archives, to the To Honour and Respect Planning Circle, the guest curators Dr. Lori Beavis and Dr. Laura Peers, and to the Royal Collection Trust for this well-deserved recognition. The exhibition truly symbolizes the massive contributions of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous voices, perspectives, and institutions,” said Gayle McIntyre, past Chair of the Peterborough Museum & Archives Advisory Committee.

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