Mashteuiatsh Sharing Project

The photos in this project were taken by Canadian artist Veronique La Perrière in 2015. They are one result of a collaborative project with the First Nation of Mashteuiatsh, the University of Montréal, the Field Museum, and the Reciprocal Research Network.

This partnership, funded in part by the Canadian SSHRC/CRSH, was formed to address complex issues related to photographic copyright law. In this case, we worked together to resolve competing interests and obligations related to the use and reproduction of images.

These cultural items collected by Frank G. Speck in the 1920s from the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec and held by the Field Museum in Chicago are of great cultural and historic importance to the community of Mashteuiatsh.

We are happy to be able to share them with you here and throught the Reciprocal Research Network.

The Reciprocal Research Network (RRN) was created as a joint effort, co-developed by Musqueam Indian Band, the Stó:lō Nation/Tribal Council, the U’mista Cultural Society, and the Museum of Anthropology at UBC

The RRN is an online tool to facilitate reciprocal and collaborative research about cultural heritage from the Northwest Coast of British Columbia. The RRN enables communities, cultural institutions, and researchers to work together. Members can build their own projects, collaborate on shared projects, upload files, hold discussions, research museum projects, and create social networks. For both communities and museums, the RRN is groundbreaking in facilitating communication and fostering lasting relationships between originating communities and institutions around the world.