The Rooms Provincial Museum and Innu Nation partner to
acquire a rare 18^th century caribou-skin coat  

The Rooms Provincial Museum, in partnership with The Innu Nation, today announced their intention to acquire a rare 18^th century caribou-skin coat.  The negotiated purchase price of the coat is $149,500 CAN.  The coat will be acquired from William Jamieson, a private dealer in Ontario, and was made possible by funding support of $104,650 CAN from the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Movable Cultural Property Grants Program.  

Curation and exhibition of the coat will be undertaken under the direction of a Joint Management Committee representing The Rooms Provincial Museum and the Innu Nation.  Upon the development of a cultural facility in Labrador by Innu Nation, ownership of the coat will be transferred to Innu Nation. The Rooms Provincial Museum will have preferred status for loans and exhibits of the coat.  

�We are absolutely thrilled that we have been able to acquire this coat, as coats of this nature are very rare,� commented Penny Houlden, director, The Rooms Provincial Museum.  �We feel it is imperative to not only to prevent export of this coat, but also to keep it publicly accessible.  The joint agreement with Innu Nation will allow for the continued preservation of this significant example of Innu material culture, and allow the Innu of Labrador and Quebec, and people from around the world, to view this magnificent coat.�  

�This is a significant piece of our history,� said Innu Nation President Penote Michel. �The skills required to make such coats no longer exist in our culture today and the coat was at risk of being lost to us forever.  To have this coat under professional care and to know that it will once again be among the Innu is a great comfort.�  

Mr. Jamieson purchased the artifact at auction November 2004 from the Yale family.  According to family tradition, the coat was acquired from Iroquois Indians between 1783 and 1805 by Theophilus Yale while he resided at Saint Andre-Est, on the Ottawa River in Quebec.  Saint Andre-Est is located not far from Oka, the residence of the Iroquois with whom Mr.Yale had a friendly connection.  The Iroquois friends of Mr.Yale, however, did not make this particular coat.  They rather acquired it from northern Quebec, presumably in the context of regional fur trade.  

Moira McCaffrey, director, Research and Exhibitions, McCord Museum of Canadian History, confirmed the authenticity of the coat.  McCaffrey noted, �Although the painted designs on the coat are somewhat faded, and the garment has suffered some smoke and fire damage, it remains in fine condition and is an excellent example of the complex artistic tradition and belief system of the Cree, Innu and Naskapi.�  

In December 2005, the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board established a six-month delay on the export of the coat after an application to export the coat for sale in the United States was refused by the Canada Border Services Agency and the refusal was confirmed by Ms. McCaffrey as the expert examiner.  The Department of Canadian Heritage subsequently notified museums and aboriginal authorities in Canada of the artifact�s availability to provide them with the opportunity to negotiate the purchase of the coat to keep it in Canada .  

The arrangement to jointly acquire the coat builds on an already established partnership between The Rooms Provincial Museum and the Innu Nation.  In collaboration with the Department of Canadian Heritage Museums Assistance Program and the Canadian Heritage Information Network, the Innu Education Authority, Innu organizations in Labrador and Quebec , and other museums, the Provincial Museum and Innu Nation have been lead players in the development of www.tipatshimuna.ca, a pilot project preserving and presenting Innu material culture and related elder knowledge.  The coat will be added to the site�s database to extend its access to the community at large.  

Media contact:

Deanne Hayward, The Rooms, (709) 757-8070, 691-5681
Ben Michel, Innu Nation, (709) 497-8398  

2006 06 15                                                        1:00 p.m.