Aboriginal leaders excluded from 'Museum for Human Rights' ceremony Aboriginal leaders say government excluded them from important international ceremony Posted By The Daily Graphic staff Updated 20 hours ago Aboriginal leaders in Manitoba say the government has insulted their people and their culture by excluding them from the sod turning ceremony of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights at the Forks in Winnipeg Friday. While Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other national and provincial leaders broke ground on the museum, First Nations were not represented, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) said. "I am extremely disappointed that a museum devoted to educating the world about human rights, a museum built on traditional Treay One First Nation territory, would exclude the Treaty One Chiefs of Manitoba, AMC Grand Chief Ron Evans said. Evans also said appropriate ceremonial protocols were not followed during the event, which was disrespectful of First Nations people. At an assembly held at Dakota Tipi First Nation last fall, museum representatives told aboriginal leaders from Manitoba that First Nation history would be an integral part of the museum, the press release said. Aboriginal people from Canada voted to support the museum with the hope that their history could be told from their perspective, Evans said. The museum is to contain a wing devoted to First Nation history, as well as employment and training opportunities for aboriginals and tourism links to sites such as the Indian Residential School Museum of Canada being established at Long Plain First Nation's urban reserve just southwest of Portage la Prairie. "Unfortunately, the ceremony demonstrated not only a lack of knowledge of our culture but a lack of understanding of what the term consultation means," Evans said. "If this is how the organizers handle the sod-turning, then how will they handle the building of the First Nations wing of the museum?" In addition to Harper, the ceremony was attended by Minister of Canadian Heritage James Moore, Premier of Manitoba Gary Doer, Deputy Mayor of the City of Winnipeg Justin Swandel, Gail Asper and members of the Museum's Board of Trustees. The Daily Graphic newspaper and www.thedailygraphic.com will follow this story as it unfolds. news.dailygraphic@shawcable.com