After a seven-year battle with the University of Toronto, members of the Huron-Wendat Nation buried bones of their ancestors in Vaughan last Saturday. The bones were unearthed in the late 1960s during an archaeological dig, and had been studied at U of T before being placed in storage for the last few decades. It was important to the Huron-Wendat for the 1,760 bones to be returned to the earth as they believe that the souls reside in the bones and are therefore sacred.
U of T has been in negotiations with the Nation for seven years. Although at times the negotiations were testy, both sides were very positive at the time of the burial. Konrad Sioui, grand chief of the Huron-Wendat Nation, said: “We could be blaming… we could be angry, but we will not be.” David Naylor, president of U of T, echoed the sentiment, describing the day as emotional and the result of close collaboration and hard work over many years.
With files from The Toronto Star
