In April 2023, quilled birch bark makaks made by women of Rice Lake Village (now Hiawatha First Nation) will arrive at the Peterborough Museum & Archives (PMA) for an extended loan visit from the Royal Collection Trust in England, where they have been cared for since they were given to the young Prince of Wales in 1860. The makaks will be exhibited and will be the focus of activities: workshops on quillwork, Michi Saagiig Anishnaabemowin, special tours of the exhibit, and some visits in which participants will be able to gently touch them.
Dr Lori Beavis (Hiawatha) and Dr Laura Peers curate the To Honour and Respect project, with a Planning Circle including Gimaakwe Laurie Carr (Hiawatha), Kim Muskratt (Hiawatha), Veronica King-Jamieson (Mississaugas of the Credit) and others. The project is funded by the Museum Assistance Program (Department of Canadian Heritage), Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and Hiawatha First Nation, with in-kind contributions by the City of Peterborough and the Peterborough Museum & Archives, whose staff will care for the makaks during their visit. The Royal Collection Trust is lending the makaks.
