First Nation in northern Ontario to put its cultural artifacts on display

Indigenous artifacts will be on display at a new exhibit at Sagamok Anishnawbek thanks to an ongoing project with the University of Toronto and the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation.

Allen Toulouse, a historical researcher from the First Nation located along the north shore of Lake Huron, said community members have been learning to catalogue cultural artifacts discovered in the region.

"We're at a point now where we think we can really tell a story with this now," he said.

"And we have this exhibit coming up this week where we're finally able to share some of the artifacts from this project and put them on display here in Sagamok."

Toulouse said some of the artifacts found in the area date as far back as the Woodland period, which predates first contact with European settlers and reveal a much larger village than previously thought.

There are also artifacts from the Fort La Cloche fur trading post, which was established in the late 1700s and operated for about a century on shores of Lake Huron.

Toulouse said the artifacts range from stone tools to musical instruments — like small mouth harps — and even pottery.

"Pottery is my new favourite one. If it's something that Ojibway peoples for a while weren't even associated with," he said.

Toulouse said the exhibit will also include current artisans.

"We gave them an idea. We said, 'Could you do an art project based on the Fort La Cloche artifacts?'" he said.

"And they have brought us some really great examples of their artwork."

Toulouse said the goal with the exhibit is to help the community share its heritage.

"We've held it individually, we've all hung on to it," he said.

"We're all putting the story together of what Sagamok is and in a greater sense, what the local Indigenous story is."

Morning North9:07New exhibit in Sagamok shares the history behind some recovered artifacts

Archaeology was often a practice that excluded First Nations. But now, communities like Sagamok are reclaiming their past, and the artifacts that came with it. Some of those artifacts are being featured in a new exhibit. We heard more from Allen Toulouse, a historical researcher in Sagamok.