Executive Council
Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs
August 2, 2011

Inuit Remains to be Returned to Rose Island

The remains of 13 Inuit will be returned and laid to rest in northern Labrador during a special ceremony August 16. Attending the repatriation at Rose Island will be the Honourable Kathy Dunderdale, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nunatsiavut President Jim Lyall.

“These remains belong to Inuit who once called the islands of Saglek Bay home,” said Premier Dunderdale. “For Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, the notion of ‘home’ has a profound significance. The return of these remains to the land of their children and grandchildren is a homecoming that will be deeply moving for all involved. I am honoured to join President Lyall and officials with the Nunatsiavut Government to take part in this reburial ceremony.”

Rose Island is located in Saglek Bay within the Torngat Mountains National Park. In the early 1970s, the remains of 113 Inuit – 100 from Rose Island and 13 from Upernavik Island – and associated artifacts were taken from stone burials as part of a research project conducted by Memorial University. Most of the remains were returned to Rose Island in 1995.

“I was informed by Premier Dunderdale last fall that some of the remains were unintentionally missed during the preparations for their return and reburial in 1995,” said President Lyall. “I want to thank the Premier for taking the initiative to ensure these remains are finally returned to their rightful resting place.”

The fragmentary remains had been part of The Rooms Provincial Museum Human Remains Collection in St. John’s. The upcoming ceremony will ensure that all of the remains removed in the 1970s will be returned to the islands in Saglek Bay.

"The Nunatsiavut Government and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador are doing everything to ensure the safe and secure return of these remains," said the Honourable Patty Pottle, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs. "Upon their return home, we will ensure these people are buried with the dignity, sensitivity and reverence they are due."

“We have been working with officials from both the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and The Rooms to ensure the return of these remains is done in a manner that is respectful and honourable,” says Nunatsiavut’s Minister of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, Johannes Lampe, noting that Inuit elders and Parks Canada officials are being consulted throughout the extensive planning process for the reburial ceremony.

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Media contacts:

Glenda Power Director of Communications Office of the Premier 709-729-3960 glendapower@gov.nl.ca	Milly Brown Press Secretary Office of the Premier 709-729-4304, 631-8477 millybrown@gov.nl.ca
John Tompkins Director of Communications Department of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs 709-729-1674, 728-7762 jtompkins@gov.nl.ca	Bert Pomeroy Director of Communications Nunatsiavut Government 709-896-8522 Bert_Pomeroy@Nunatsiavut.com

2011 08 02             10:25 a.m.