Freelance Opportunity: Buxton Museum

Buxton Museum and Art Gallery is looking for help to identify ethnographic material and for advice on potential restitutions.  They write:

These objects were purchased between 1940 and 1988, and were part of the Derbyshire Schools Library Service collections.

We are looking for people who can help identify objects from:

·         Plains Indian (around 33 objects)

·         First Nations (around 10 objects)

·         Inuit (around 72 objects)

The objects are located in Buxton, Derbyshire. You will need to travel to view the objects in person.

With the support of the Esmee Fairburn Collections Trust funding, we are able to offer a fee of £250 a day plus reasonable travel expenses. Due to budget constraints we can only offer a maximum of two days’ work on the material. 

The work needs to be carried out between mid February and March. 

If you are able to help, please send a description of no more than 500 words detailing your relevant experience to Bret Gaunt at Bret.Gaunt@derbyshire.gov.uk by 5pm on Friday 31^st of January.

Request for Information - Treaty Medals taken from ‘rebel bands’ by General Middleton, 1885

Kevin Seesequasis (c-c-kway-sis), an elected Councillor for the government of the Beardy’s &

Okemasis’ Cree Nation in central Saskatchewan, Canada, is hoping to locate 1876 Treaty Medals.

The government presented Treaty Medals to many First Nations leaders if they signed up to Treaty 6 with the colonial government, in 1876. 

In 1885, Major-General Middleton, the commander of the expeditionary force that fought against the Metis in the Northwest Rebellion, seized the Treaty Medals of the so called ‘rebel bands’ of First Nations, believing that they aided the Metis in their uprising against the Canadian government.

These medals have never been returned to their rightful owners, the Cree leaders of the First Nations the ‘rebels’ led. There is an effort underway in Canada among First Nations leadership to repatriate these Treaty 6 medals.

Specifically they are looking for the medals presented to Chiefs Beardy and Saswaypew at the signing of adhesion to Treaty 6 on August 28, 1876.

The confiscated Treaty Medals have not been traced in Canadian museums. When Major- General (later Lieutenant -General) Middleton returned to Britain in 1890 it is believed that he brought the medals with him.  He was appointed Keeper of the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London in 1896 and died in 1898.

Any information on their current whereabouts gratefully received.

Please contact Kevin Seesequasis  via communications@beardysband.com