The Changing Presentation of the American Indian: Museums and Native Cultures

by W. Richard West Jr.

Museums―along with books, newspapers, and Wild West shows in the 19th century, movies and television in the 20th―have shaped our perceptions of American Indians. This book brings together six prominent museum professionals―Native and non-Native―to examine the ways in which Indians and their cultures have been represented by museums in North America and to present new directions museums are already taking.

Traditional museum exhibitions of Native American art and culture often represented only the past, ignoring the living Native voice. Today, museums have begun to incorporate Native perspectives in their displays. Even more dramatic is the growth in the number of Indian-run museums. These essays explore the relationships being forged between museums and Native communities to create new techniques for presenting Native American culture. This publication will serve to stimulate the discussions and analyses that can lead to new partnerships and collaborations.

Genres: Native American, Anthropology, Nonfiction

119 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1999

Reviews

[Brianna Melick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous study on the ever-changing perspectives of Native Cultures in museums. It is refreshing to have a collaborative book on a talk given regarding this specific issue over the last few decades. Has perspectives from living Native people who discuss their specific issues, while non-natives who have worked in the field give their perspective. It is always a positive sign when we see not just museums but also Indigenous tribes acknowledging that this is a cohesive problem to solve and we must do it together or there will be no solution.

[Tricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hard copy.
I read this as part of my Master's Program in Museum Studies.
This book walks through the history of how Native Americans have been portrayed in our culture and how they have been oppressed in expressing their own arts in their own way.

[Susannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good resource- product of its time


Read at Smithsonian (2017)