Decolonizing Museums: Representing Native America in National and Tribal Museums

by Amy Lonetree

Museum exhibitions focusing on Native American history have long been curator controlled. However, a shift is occurring, giving Indigenous people a larger role in determining exhibition content. In Decolonizing Museums , Amy Lonetree examines the complexities of these new relationships with an eye toward exploring how museums can grapple with centuries of unresolved trauma as they tell the stories of Native peoples. She investigates how museums can honor an Indigenous worldview and way of knowing, challenge stereotypical representations, and speak the hard truths of colonization within exhibition spaces to address the persistent legacies of historical unresolved grief in Native communities.
Lonetree focuses on the representation of Native Americans in exhibitions at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, the Mille Lacs Indian Museum in Minnesota, and the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture and Lifeways in Michigan. Drawing on her experiences as an Indigenous scholar and museum professional, Lonetree analyzes exhibition texts and images, records of exhibition development, and interviews with staff members. She addresses historical and contemporary museum practices and charts possible paths for the future curation and presentation of Native lifeways.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Museums, Museology, Indigenous, Grad School, School

248 pages, Paperback

First published November 19, 2012

Reviews

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and important to read for anyone interested in museum work or are just fans of museums. Lonetree does a very good job with grappling on the continued colonial impacts of museums and how they can be transformed into decolonization centers of community healing (which is only through completely centering Indigenous voices and grappling with the extremely traumatic history that started with colonization).

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing and important.

I never put school-related reads on my highlights of the year list, but this book is absolutely going on it. Everything I wanted to say in my paper can draw evidence and experience from this text.
If I could give this more than five stars, I absolutely would.

[Bobby Petricini · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look by Lonetree at 3 specific museums and what they’ve done to combat white prejudice in museum displays about Native Americans

[Valeria]

I knew almost nothing about Indigenous museums before reading this so it was awesome. Again these kind of books were my favorite to read and learn from in this class HIST 6381

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author shows what museums have been and can be. Native American museums must privilege American Indian perspectives and must act as a decolonizing voice. The story presented in these museums must honestly, critically name and analyze colonialism. Europeans took the land, and tried to take the culture and history away from the original inhabitants of North America. They [colonizers] tried to kill off American Indians through the mechanism of assimilation. This evil has been perpetuated in the way archaeologists have tried to hold onto decision making in museums, instead of ceding that authority to the people whose stories are being told. The debate over Indian remains with John O'Shea of the University of Michigan is especially telling. He presumes that he represents the best of the science, and the Anshinabe people couldn't possible understand his superior perspective. He also presumes that his scientific approach is the right one, superior to the Anshinabe cultural heritage. He never says what he would do if it were his parents' and grandparents' remains on display in a museum. This is paternalistic. His approach dehumanizes the Indians. Lonetree does a wonderful job of telling this story.

[Alexa Chambers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amy Lonetree writes an engaging book on decolonizing museums, comparing their methods of decolonization, continual survivance, and accepting the hard truths of colonization. Her analysis of tribal museums, hybrid museums, and the NMAI as a national, federal museum increases the field of decolonization of museums and how museums can do more to repatriate and communicate with Native communities to ensure entire truths are being disseminated to the public.

[Courtney Homer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting look at Native American history in America - how we treat it and think about it. Lonetree’s work is readable, accessible, and makes an important argument for the need for the decolonizing of museums so that we can address the past and move forward. By better contextualizing history, and not shying from the hardest pieces, we can better celebrate today.

[Josh Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes a clear and compelling case for the importance of transforming museums into spaces of critical historical assessment and healing for Indigenous peoples. Through examples, she outlines best practices at doing this kind of work with museums.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Besides its informative content, I loved the format of this book - three thoroughly-explored museums, each given their own critiques and support. The message that progress still needs constructive criticism - along with a vision for a potential future - made this a very thought-provoking read.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal and comprehensive. All-levels and very organized. Thank you Amy!

[Hillary Borders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for Public History Seminar

[Susannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful resource!

3 part comparison- had great individualized insight into NMAI (2004 opening, etc)

Read while at Smithsonian (2017)

[Brianna Herndon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this for a museum studies class. From an academic standpoint, it’s great. But I don’t really think it’s that accessible for a lay audience.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author brings up great points about ways in which she believes museums can function as healing places for Native American communities but often remains too critical if tribal museums don't fit her model and at no point does she consider who the prospective audience for her model is intended to be. Excellent food for thought when considerations need to be made about interpreting the story of Native people.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lonetree provides excellent Native commentary on work being done to represent Native Americans in museums. She critiques the efforts of some museums while lifting up the positive work others have done. She offers ways museums can truly decolonize and indigenize.