As North America's oldest company faces bankruptcy, the sale of its collection raises fears among Indigenous communities

A significant private collection of art and historical artifacts from Hudson's Bay Company is set for auction in Canada. Hudson's Bay Company, established in 1670, amassed approximately 1,700 art pieces and 2,700 artifacts. The company had extensive colonial responsibilities and its historical significance is tied to the fur trade and Indigenous relations in Canada. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs opposes the sale, indicating the importance of preserving the collection related to the company's colonial past and its impact on Canadian identity.

The Hudson's Bay Company matters to Canada's past and to many of its present debates because the enterprise sat at the crossroads of almost every major current that formed the country: economy, geography, politics, Indigenous relations and national identity.

HBC dominated Canada's largest historical industry-the fur trade-for two centuries and was the de facto government over four million square kilometres. It was responsible for establishing relationships with numerous Indigenous communities before selling its territory-known as Rupert's Land-to the Dominion of Canada in 1869, essentially doubling Canada's size.

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