First Canadian and Inuit-owned artifacts from Franklin wreck revealed to public

Nine artifacts from the wreck of Sir John Franklin'sHMSErebus, jointly owned by Canada and the Inuit Heritage Trust, wererevealed to the broader public Tuesday after being displayed in Nunavut communities last week.

The artifacts are the first to fall under anagreement finalized by Canada and Britain in April, which gave Canada and Inuit joint ownership of the wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMSTerror, as well as any undiscovered artifacts.

• Canada, Britain formalize agreement on Franklin expedition wrecks

The U.K. was granted ownership of the 65 artifacts already discovered by Parks Canada diving teams at the time of the agreement, making these nine artifacts the first to be owned by the Canadian government and local Inuit.

Both ships sank during the doomed Franklin Expedition while seeking a path through the Northwest Passage. The shipsdisappeared after being locked in ice in 1846. The wreck of the Erebus was discovered in 2014, the Terror in 2016.

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The artifacts include a water pitcher, a block and shackle, a nail, a belaying pin for rope and afearnaught, used for waterproofing the upper deck of the ship.

UnderwaterarcheologistCharlesDagneausaid the discovery of these artifacts help continue to uncover the mystery ofwhat exactly happened to the ship, and the people on board.

"That mystery has been unsolvedfor years, and and we're getting some opportunities through thearcheologicalprocess to answer some major questions on what happened," saidDagneau.

Last week, the artifacts were shown to local Inuitat community events inGjoaHaven and Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. Inuit oral history was key to discovering the wrecks, which were discovered nearGjoaHaven.

• Franklin find proves 'Inuit oral history is strong:' Louie Kamookak
• Inuit knowledge helped discover the Erebus and Terror, now it will help protect the sites

The reception to the meetings was positive, saidDagneau, who conducted presentations with elders and theKitikmeotHeritage Society.

"Parks Canada wanted to give the communities up north, the Inuit, the first look on the artifacts because they are the owner," saidDagneau.

The artifactswill now be sent to a lab in Ottawa for a DNA examination. Amemorandumof understanding between Parks Canada and the Inuit Heritage Museum is being developed to figure out a management plan for the artifacts.