Manitoba Group Seeks $17M to Repatriate 3,000 Indigenous Artifacts from Switzerland

A Cultural Mission to Bring Sacred Artifacts Home

A Manitoba-based collective, Return the Sacred, is mobilizing to raise $17 million to repatriate 3,000 Indigenous artifacts currently held in Switzerland. The initiative, led by executive director Coleen Rajotte, follows a recent trip to Gossau where the group met with private collector Vincent Escriba, who has amassed a vast collection over 50 years of travel across North America.

The Heart of the Effort

The artifacts—ranging from headdresses and medicine bags to totem poles and ceremonial pipes—hold profound spiritual significance for Indigenous communities. Karl Stone, a spiritual advisor with the group, emphasized that these items "should be kept within our own communities, taught to the next generation."

Escriba, now 70, retired from running the Indian Land Museum in December 2025, closing the museum after decades of operation. The collection, which includes over 5,000 items from Indigenous cultures across continents, has been stored in boxes at a private warehouse since the museum’s closure.

A Collaborative Path Forward

Rajotte described Escriba as "a kind, gentle person" who developed a deep appreciation for Indigenous cultures during his travels. "He spent his entire life collecting, and now he wants to sell it back," she said. The group has been in communication with Escriba since June 2025, seeking to ensure the artifacts return to their communities of origin.

The initiative gained momentum after Pikangikum First Nation’s chief informed researcher Gerald Neufeld of the collection’s potential sale. Neufeld later founded Return the Sacred to facilitate the repatriation process.

Community-Led Stewardship

The group stresses that the artifacts must be housed and managed by Indigenous communities themselves, not by external institutions. "This is about cultural preservation and ensuring that our medicine people can continue their work," Rajotte explained.

With the museum closed and Escriba seeking to sell the collection, the timeline for repatriation is urgent. The group is now focusing on fundraising to secure the artifacts before they are dispersed to other private collectors or institutions.