Aboriginal Canadian approaches to the conservation of cultural property are rooted in indigenous customary law traditions relating to land tenure. Strategies for mediating between Western and Aboriginal legal traditions concerning heritage have inspired conservation staff at the Canadian Museum of Civilization (CMC) to make innovations in the storage, exhibition, and traditional care of objects of Aboriginal origin. Practices involving the incorporation of Aboriginal cultural protocols into Museum storage and display practices, and the provision of specialized collections care training to Aboriginal interns have been the hallmarks of CMC’s unique approach to the fusion of technical and traditional methods in conservation. This paper concludes that “authenticity” and “the intangible heritage” are one, and that these concepts are manifested through the interplay of language, ritual, and notions of the sacred. Insofar as conservators are responsible for maintaining authenticity within the material aspects of objects, they are also intimately involved with preserving their intangible elements.