COMBERMERE: The Mission House Museum has shut down, but some of its collection will remain in the public realm. That includes items that are important to Indigenous history.
Some artifacts have been repatriated to the local Algonquin community. They include pottery, arrowheads and scalping tools. The items were once found in the Combermere area at former Algonquin village sites.
The museum’s former curator, David Kelley, worked to return the items to elders, who are connected to the Algonquins of Ontario office in Pembroke. The hope is they can be put back on display, although those details have yet to be arranged.
Mission House Museum, located in Combermere, closed its doors for good last spring. Lack of visitors during the pandemic was a driving force in the closure.
Hannah Gutoskie, Madawaska Valley township community development co-ordinator, said while the closing is sad, it’s great that some items are now being repatriated back to indigenous communities.
She said the Algonquin community can now decide how the artifacts should be displayed in the future.
Mission House Museum was owned by Madawaska Valley but run by Combermere Heritage Society members. When it closed, they vowed to return as many artifacts as they could to community members.