Canadian First Nations fear their canoe may go back to Galway

A First Nations community in Canada which had campaigned for Ireland's repatriation of its 19th-century canoe now fears that the artefact may be shipped back to Galway. The Grandfather Akwiten, which is believed to be the world's oldest birchbark canoe of its type, was built by forefathers of the Wolastoqiyik or "Maliseet" community in New Brunswick. It had hung from the rafters of NUI Galway (NUIG) for decades until it was sent out to Canada in 2009.

The plan was to restore it and display it temporarily before returning it to Galway, but the Wolastoqiyik appealed for it to be kept permanently in New Brunswick after members of the indigenous community spotted the craft on a television news report.

President Michael D Higgins, then Labour's Galway West TD, backed the call by Chief Candice Paul, leader of the St Mary's First Nation, to recognise the bark-built "river horse" as a "spiritual and cultural artefact".

In an open letter to the Irish people, Chief Paul had explained how the spirits of her community's elders were vested in the craft, which had once plied the St John river valley, before becoming what she described as a "home for pigeons" in NUIG's James Mitchell museum.

However, the art gallery where it has been kept in Canada since 2009 contacted NUIG in November to say it had run out of space to store it. The Beaverbrook art gallery in Fredericton, New Brunswick, said it was “still unclear as to whether the ownership for the artefact had been officially transferred” and “if this has occurred, who the new owner is”.

Chief Paul said she was trying to establish whether the Beaverbrook planned to return it to Ireland, without consulting her community."We are in total shock at the idea that the Beaverbrook would not contact us first," she said. "The canoe has been stored in a crate in its basement and we would definitely find a place for it here."

Her community still plans to come to Ireland next summer to offer instruction in building a replica canoe and participate in a music and cultural tour.

The birch kayak, which was garnished with cedar and coated with fir-tree gum and willow twigs, was one of three built by the Wolastoqiyik for British lieutenant-governor Sir Howard Douglas, who arrived in New Brunswick in 1824. A contemporary account describes how it was used to transport "wives, children, dogs, kettles, hatchets, matachias [trinkets], bows, arrows, quivers, skins" and the "coverings" of houses.

It passed into the hands of Lieut Stepney St George, an ancestor of former Fianna Fáil minister Martin Mansergh, who was then serving with the British imperial forces in Canada. He took the craft back home to Headford Castle, Co Galway, and after his death, the canoe was donated to what was then known as Queen's University in Galway city.

Retired teacher and environmental activist Gerry McAlister, who moved to Canada in 2004 to teach on St Thomas University's Irish studies programme, said he believed the canoe should remain in Fredericton. He was confident that all "right thinking people" in Ireland and Canada would ensure that the First Nations community had access to the Grandfather Akwiten.

NUIG said it was "committed to working with Canadian authorities to appropriately repatriate the Grandfather Canoe to Canada".

The Beaverbrook art gallery was unavailable for comment.

Chief Paul has called on NUIG to ensure that “if the university has any documentation on ownership, it should be transferred back to this community”.