Each year we offer several temporary exhibitions presenting a variety of topics. Visit the upcoming exhibitions schedule to learn more about what is booked to be on display, or view our list of past exhibitions to see what we have previously hosted.
To Honour and Respect: Gifts from the Michi Saagiig Women to the Prince of Wales, 1860
Honorer et Respecter: Dons des femmes Michi Saagiig au prince de Galles, 1860
Mnaajtood ge Mnaadendaan: Miigwewinan Michi Saagiig Kwewag Miinegoowin Gimaans Zhaganaash Aki 1860
April 22 to November 18, 2023
Thirteen (13) quilled wiigwaasii makakoon (pronounced weeg-wah-see mah-ka-coon) will be visiting their ancestral lands on Michi Saagiig territory from April 22 to November 18, 2023. Michi Saagiig women gave the thirteen birch bark baskets (makakoon) to the Prince of Wales on September 7, 1860, when he stopped at Rice Lake village (now Hiawatha First Nation) as part of a cross-Canada Royal tour.
Entitled “To Honour and Respect: Gifts from the Michi Saagiig Women to the Prince of Wales, 1860,” the exhibition will explore the cultural knowledge, love, respect, and diplomacy that went into the makakoons. The Peterborough Museum & Archives is providing a safe and accessible home for the ancestral makakoons while in Canada.
Join us at the Peterborough Museum & Archives from 12 noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 18 for a special family-oriented drop-in event in honour of the final day "To Honour and Respect" will be open to the public. Exhibition docents will be in "To Honour and Respect" every Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Visit during this time to engage with knowledgeable interpreters who can answer your questions about the makakoon.
Chief Laurie Carr, Hiawatha First Nation:
“Hiawatha First Nation and the Mississauga Nation communities are coming together to welcome these Ancestors home for a visit. We know that the makakoons have the names of women makers attached, and there are descendants of these women in our First Nations. While the Ancestors are with us on Michi Saagiig Territory, the PMA will create space for everyone to visit, and we will share knowledge about this art through viewing, workshops, and language classes. We will sit with the Ancestors and acknowledge their spirits and what they have to teach us. Each of the makakoons will add to our cultural knowledge and strength as Michi Saagiig Peoples.”
Since 1860, the makakoons have been part of the Royal Collection Trust and housed at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. They are on loan for exhibition by His Majesty King Charles III. The “To Honour and Respect” curators and the Planning Committee have worked closely with the Royal Collection Trust to facilitate the unique loan.
Curator Rachel Peat, Curator of Decorative Arts, Royal Collection Trust:
“Royal Collection Trust is delighted to exhibit this group of gifts presented to the future King Edward VII during the landmark first royal meeting with the Michi Saagiig in 1860. Since then, these outstanding works of art have been displayed within the royal residences as a symbol of relations between Mississauga Nation communities and the Crown. Today, this project offers an important opportunity to reconnect with Michi Saagiig knowledge holders and affirm links with this community.”
During the visit of the makakoons, there will be associated programming including workshops on quillwork, provided by Hiawatha First Nation artist Sandra Moore, and on Michi Saagiig language, provided by Curve Lake member Jonathan Taylor.
Mayor Jeff Leal, City of Peterborough:
“The exhibition of this Michi Saagiig material culture will be of interest to many people in Peterborough and the surrounding area. Arts and culture make a significant contribution to a vibrant society; they help us tell our stories, remember the past, and imagine the future. The makakoons are part of all our heritages, as people who live and work on the traditional territory of the Michi Saagiig. The “To Honour and Respect” exhibition at the PMA will be an exhibition for people of all ages to visit and learn about our history.”
The partners acknowledge with gratitude that this project has been made possible in part through the support of the Government of Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Peterborough Museum & Archives and City of Peterborough, and the generous support of the Mississauga Nations, including: Mississaugas of the Credit, Mississaugas of Alderville, Mississaugas of Scugog Island, Mississauga First Nation, Curve Lake First Nation, and Hiawatha First Nation.
For further information, please contact:
- Eugene Bagagem, Communications Coordinator
Hiawatha First Nation
communications@hiawathafn.ca - Lori Beavis / Laura Peers, To Honour & Respect Curators
THRcommunityengage@gmail.com - Dustin McIlwain, Visitor Experience Coordinator
Peterborough Museum & Archives
dmcilwain@peterborough.ca
THR project Facebook page for updates and events: To Honour and Respect
Lean more about educational programming on our School Programs webpage.
Welcome to Boomtown
A renewal of the PMA's long-term exhibitions by Fleming College's Museum Management and Curatorship (MMC) students.
"Welcome to Boomtown!" The reimagined Victorian Era exhibition is bright, engaging, and insightful as it captures what life was like in this region and surrounding Indigenous communities from 1860 through 1900. During the Victorian Era people of Peterborough/Nogojiwanong experienced significant cultural and industrial changes that lead to rapid growth of the area. Displays showcase the hardships, changes and innovations that marked the era and include previously untold stories. Take a walk with us through this fascinating time and explore Peterborough/Nogojiwanong’s journey to boomtown!
A big thanks to our guest curators, Fleming College's Museum Management and Curatorship students. Using the skills and knowledge learned during their first two semesters, the MMC students have truly captured the look and feel of the Victorian Era through this exhibition refresh. The renewal includes key visual changes, decolonizing the exhibition narrative, contents, and language, and creating a more inclusive and diverse exhibition. Visitors will appreciate previously untold stories, view artifacts and archival materials from the PMA’s extensive collections and have new opportunities to interact with the exhibition, the region’s heritage and each other.
The exhibition is currently open for visitors and admission is by donation.
Land Acknowledgement
We respectfully acknowledge that the Peterborough Museum & Archives is located on the Treaty 20 Michi Saagiig territory and in the traditional territory of the Michi Saagiig and Chippewa Nations, collectively known as the Williams Treaty First Nations, which include Curve Lake, Hiawatha, Alderville, Scugog Island, Rama, Beausoleil, and Georgina Island First Nations.
The Peterborough Museum & Archives respectfully acknowledges that the Williams Treaties First Nations are the stewards and caretakers of these lands and waters in perpetuity, and that they continue to maintain this responsibility to ensure their health and integrity for generations to come.
