BARRE – Just shy of two years ago, on Nov. 5, 2022, Barre’s Woods Memorial Library returned to the Oglala-Lakota Nation more than 130 items connected to the 1890 massacre of nearly 300 Native Americans near Wounded Knee Creek on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

It was thought at the time that the items returned – moccasins, clothing, arrows and weapons – accounted for the entire collection brought back to Barre over a century ago by Frank Root, a traveling shoe salesman and part-time showman.

However, two more items – three colorful headdresses, including a war bonnet – were apparently overlooked when the original collection of artifacts was gathered for return to South Dakota. They were found to still be in the collection of the Founders Museum, which is located in the library. Elizabeth Martin, a member of the board of the Barre Museum Association, contacted tribal leaders at Pine Ridge Reservation to make them aware of the find.

On Monday, the items were handed over to Justin Pourier, Fifth Member and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer of the Oglala Sioux Tribe during a ceremony at the library.

“The way I see it, returning all this stuff back to our tribe is important so our children can view the items,” Pourier told the Athol Daily News. “Back home, there aren’t too many items there. So, when they return it, we’re hoping to restore hope in our kids, to show them where they come from so that they know where they’re going.”

Pourier explained that the items returned Monday are not related to the Wounded Knee Massacre and that Root must have collected them “when he was in the area. A lot of collectors were on the reservations back then. I don’t know if they were buying them justly or if they were tricking our chiefs. But somehow these items left the ownership of our chiefs, of our tribe, and ended up in places like this.”

The Oglala Sioux representative said Native American artifacts were often collected by traveling “Wild West” shows and ended up scattered around the U.S., as well as overseas.

“They left items in Glasgow (Scotland), and we’re working with Glasgow to actually return some items that should go back to other reservations,” Pourier said.

Before heading to Barre, said Pourier, “I sought guidance from medicine men and they gave me their wisdom. When I get back, we’ll have the medicine men come pray with (the items) and then we’ll put them in our archives.”

Pourier told the people who gathered for Monday’s repatriation ceremony, “One thing I pray about, and hope is that it has an impact on our youth. I know it will. I know that all these things that are in these rooms and in faraway cities – our schools will be able to use them, and artists will be able to use them. When we return these things back home, these items, these sacred items, will have an impact.”

Pourier explained that every feather on the war bonnet represented a great deed done by the chief who owned it, “not only in battle, but for protecting his people, protecting his family, looking out for the tribe. Every one of those feathers represents something good that he did.”

Pourier said the war bonnet indicated that the wearer had been wounded in battle. Asked how he felt to see and touch the items, he responded, “It gives me an excited feeling. It’s pretty amazing.”

He concluded the ceremony by singing a prayer over the items in recognition of their significance and to honor the warrior who had worn the bonnet.

Returning to his hopes for his nation’s young, Pourier said, “I want this to help restore some hope in them. Reservation life is really a hard way of living.”

He added that he wants young boys and girls to be inspired to do good works for their people.

“This really means a lot to my heart,” Pourier said. “So, to everybody here, thank you.”

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.