Paper short abstract:

The material culture and archival records of Indigenous peoples can "speak" and communicate - it is just a matter of "listening". Even when sitting in a museum collection or vault separated from their home community - there is still a connection to stories from the land, stories of home and family.

Paper long abstract:

The presentation will focus on concepts of Indigenous knowledge and Indigenous museum practice. Through a Canadian context, I have been exploring this idea of reconciliation and healing in museum spaces; with a focus on Anishinaabe communities and the need of reconnecting to land, time and place. I hypothesize, that one of the reasons for the land disconnect is that we (Anishinaabe people) forgot how to make objects. Our hands forgot what they could do.

Making objects was not just about assembling or stitching materials together. But also, included the whole process of gathering materials, spending time on the land and being in a relationship with the land. The material culture of the Anishinaabe, such as birch bark containers, clothing and woven bags, they were all made of resources that came from the land. Even the earlier beadwork tells of the relationship with land and place.

So, today these ancestors sit in museum cabinets, on shelves, and in glass cases; being disconnected from their communities and their makers'. BUT - the memories and stories are still contained within them. Even after being separated from the community for a long time (to the point of being forgotten in some cases), there is still some kind of a connection that remains - they still contain stories from their land, from their home. The work that I do, and my discussion will explore the question - why is it important to connect ancestors/ objects in museums back to their community?