A retired Manitoba archeologist is accusing the builders of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights of mistreating First Nations heritage.

Leigh Syms, former curator of archeology for the Manitoba Museum, said the national museum is being constructed on one of the richest sites in the province for aboriginal artifacts. Although the museum funded an excavation of the site last summer, Syms said it didn't go far enough.

'I just find it so ironic that human rights museum would mistreat first nations heritage that way.'—Leigh Syms

He said only two per cent of the artifacts buried at the site were recovered because the museum won't foot the bill for a larger dig to retrieve and preserve the remains of aboriginal settlements that date back thousands of years.

Part of the reason for the shortcuts is that Manitoba has one of the weakest heritage regulation bodies in Canada, Syms suggested.

"So, [museum officials] were left up to their own goodwill and they chose to ignore it totally. I just find it so ironic that human rights museum would mistreat first nations heritage that way," he said.

"They did provide money for good excavation for that two per cent but they did not provide money for collections management. [The artifacts were] supposed to go to the Manitoba Museum and as soon as they found there were costs involved they cancelled that.

"So right now they have this small but important collection sitting unnumbered in bags being stored in the basement of some government warehouse."

Insight into historic First Nations lifestyle

Syms said the site could provide a glimpse into what life was like for aboriginal people who occupied the area roughly 1,000 years ago.

Angela Cassie, spokesperson for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, said museum officials met with elders at Thunderbird House, a Winnipeg-based centre for aboriginal spirituality, long before the archeological dig began.

Officials wanted to get the elders' feedback and determine if there were any concerns about the project, she said.

'The crew right now is monitoring every auger that goes into the ground through the depths where cultural layers are expected.'—Angela Cassie, human rights museum spokesperson

"We then undertook a 5 1/2 month dig, which started last June, the largest to have been undertaken on the Forks site," she said. "We invested half a million dollars in last year's dig, funding the first part of the archaeological dig and further analysis of samples, including carbon dating and residue analysis.

"These materials provide a record of past human use and history of the site," she said.

Officials will continue to work with the province and Parks Canada to tell the story of the site, Cassie added. She also said the museum has met all of the requirements set out in Manitoba's legislation for heritage sites.

"The crew right now is monitoring every auger that goes into the ground through the depths where cultural layers are expected," she said. "And where these materials are found, they continue to be tagged and bagged and stored for future testing by interested archeologists.

"There has been some material found in some caissons, but some of the caissons as well have been sterile."

The plans for the museum will see little impact on the cultural layers, Cassie said, noting the building will be constructed on piles, effectively placing the building above the ground and not compressing the earth underneath.

The museum, being built at Winnipeg's historic Forks — a historic gathering place for First Nations people and fur traders — is the first national museum to be built outside of Ottawa. It is scheduled to open in 2012.