Approaches to establishing meaningful partnerships with Indigenous groups: an examination of protocol from eight museums

Abstract

Museums are often regarded as respected places of learning; however, they have played a significant role creating and disseminating stereotypes about Indigenous People by misrepresenting them and their cultures. This, coupled with the often violent way that material culture has been collected, has left museums with legacies that can be harmful and unwelcoming to Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous activism both within and outside heritage spheres has led to documents such as UNDRIP, which affirm Indigenous sovereignties and rights to their culture and heritage, and have set a new precedent for how museums should operate and represent Indigenous cultures. This thesis examines eight museums from across Canada, the USA, and Germany to understand how they are engaging with the Indigenous Nations they represent, and further, how they are counteracting their legacies. This is coupled with the observation of the first stage of Creating Context, a community-project that brought Nunatsiavummiut to Germany to reconnect with material culture in two museum’s care. It was found that the establishment of meaningful relationships is based in trust, and brought to action with three guiding principles (1) ontological empathy; (2) power-shifting and (3) culturally specific care protocol. These themes are foundational in guiding museums toward a better museum practice.