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- Convenors:
-
Suzanne McLeod
(University of Manitoba)
Maureen Matthews (University of Manitoba)
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- Chair:
-
Cara Krmpotich
(University of Toronto)
- Format:
- Panel
- Location:
- Senate Room
- Sessions:
- Tuesday 25 June, -, -
Time zone: Europe/London
Short Abstract:
This panel will present the experiences of Canadian Indigenous scholars and museum professionals during their time at regional institutions, providing real-time feedback on the progress and complexities of decolonization and Indigenization—an opportunity to share best practices and new responses.
Long Abstract:
For over three decades, the Indigenous community has been calling for the decolonization of museums in ways that honour and recognize Indigenous knowledge and perspectives (Lonetree 2012; Maranda & Soares 2017; Moran 2020). This panel will examine the experiences, both positive and negative, of Indigenous scholars and museum professionals working in institutions whose various projects provide real-time feedback on the progress and complexities of decolonization and Indigenization—an opportunity to share best practices and new responses. Decolonization is not an easy or comfortable endeavour; it calls on individuals and institutions to face the hard truths about the continuing impact of colonization and the role of museums in undermining Indigenous cultures while valorizing Indigenous objects. In attempting to decolonize, some institutions have begun to act on the relational obligations imposed by their Indigenous collections (Matthews 2021) and have, to varying degrees, listened to Indigenous communities’ calls for reconciliation, repatriation, and community access, “transforming sites of colonial harm into sites of healing and restoring community wellbeing”. (Lonetree 2012).
This panel will speak to the idea of museums as teaching institutions, reflecting on the role of Indigenous museum professionals who have contributed to a new, inclusive, and collaborative exhibit development practice and initiated an institutional relationship called “shared authority” (Lonetree). This is part of a larger political movement of Indigenous self-determination and cultural sovereignty where museums become sites of Indigenous research, providing scholars with a material perspective on Indigenous histories (Racine 2010) and working to correct largely Western biases and institutional misrepresentations.
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Tuesday 25 June, 2024, -Sherry Farrell Racette (University of Regina)
Paper short abstract:
This paper will unpack the visceral response from a small group of students and artists to a small hide bag found in a museum collection. The little bag, with the words "Fire Back" embroidered on the front impacted each member of the group in different ways.
Paper long abstract:
I have taken many groups - both large and small - into museums to view collections. This paper will unpack one incident where, standing on a ladder, I found a small moose hide bag with the words "Fire Back" in silk thread embroidery. Each member of the group had a powerful response to the bag and its message, and expressed them through artistic, curatorial and political actions.
Darrell Racine (Brandon University)
Paper short abstract:
This work will examine the challenges of teaching Museum Studies within an Indigenous Studies Department and from an Indigenous perspective. The relationship between historical trauma, museum collections and reconciliation will be examined in the context of the Canadian milieu.
Paper long abstract:
This paper will discuss the anthropological academic theory and practice required to ensure positive outcomes for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in the context of the contemporary museum relations in Canada. More specifically, this work will show how understanding collections provenance through Indigenous eyes can be a catalyst for Canadian/Indigenous reconciliation of both the past and the present. Teaching Indigenous perspectives on individual collections can also result in the recovery of unwritten histories that benefit both the Indigenous communities and museums. Students learn that when Indigenous museum relationships are cultivated in a positive manner that productive dialogues result not only in the classroom but also across our society.
Lori Beavis (Centre d'art daphne)
Paper short abstract:
In this paper I will discuss the guiding principle of my work as independent curator and as the Director of daphne, to create openings and possibilities for the next generation of Indigenous cultural workers. This work is done as a pedagogical practice in a contemporary cultural setting.
Paper long abstract:
How do we create space and opportunities in the cultural sector for the next generation of cultural workers? In my work as an independent curator and through my position as Director of daphne, it has been essential to mentor and create employment opportunities for Indigenous youth.
In this paper I will speak to three scenarios in which spaces were opened and opportunities were created for youth to build practical experience and knowledge of the cultural sector.
As Director of daphne I initiated an internship program through which candidates learn of the day-to-day running of an art gallery but also gain experience as a curatorial assistant. In my independent career the travelling exhibition, Initawà: to hear/ understand her in a certain way (2022-2023) and the extended loan exhibition, Mnaajtood ge Mnaadendaan: Miigwewinan Michi Saagiig Kwewag Miinegoowin Gimaans Zhaganaash Aki, 1860 / To Honour and Respect: Gifts from the Michi Sagiig Women to the Prince of Wales, 1860, co-curated with Laura Peers (2023) both created opportunities for me to development practices within exhibitions. These practices stem from the work being based in Indigeneity but also as a way to inscribe an Indigenous lens on the the experience of the exhibition for visitors but also to initiate a relationship within the institutional setting as a move to decolonization.
Cara Krmpotich (University of Toronto)
Paper short abstract:
This paper builds on experiences teaching collections management for museum studies students, integrating anthropological approaches to knowledge systems and material culture to decolonize an incredibly durable facet of museums: the catalogue.
Paper long abstract:
This paper builds on experiences teaching collections management for museum studies students. Often thought of as rote, neutral and apolitical labour, collections management instead embodies and enacts the values, ethics and politics of museums and their societies. It thus presents an important possible site for institutional decolonial action. In my research, professional work and teaching, I have found that integrating anthropological approaches to knowledge systems and material culture can be productive in moving from general desires to decolonize or Indigenize museum practice and offer some means for settler scholars and practitioners to take up the work of decolonization. Importantly, museums are not simply sites for critique; they are places for acting, working, and world-making. In this paper, I consider what this might look like for settler museum staff in Canada responsible for the intellectual and physical care of collections.
Maureen Matthews (University of Manitoba) Roger Roulette (Aboriginal Languages of MB)
Paper short abstract:
This paper reflects on changes which have been initiated by twelve pipes on exhibit at the Manitoba Museum. In Anishinaabemowin, these pipes are other-than-human-persons and they have begun decolonizing the museum by teaching the institution to respect its relational obligations to its collections.
Paper long abstract:
This paper addresses the changes in museum caring practices which derive from an approach to Indigenous museum collections which privileges the Anishinaabe/ Ininiw/ Dakota view that pipes, as ceremonial artefacts, are other-than-human persons with active social relationships (Viveiros de Casto, Bird-David, Matthews). It follows from this perspective, that Indigenous collections impose obligations on museums, not from a professional asset-based ownership and heritage performance perspective, but with the purpose of renewing historical Indigenous ties and initiating new Indigenous relationships through visits, repatriation, and reconciliation.
This paper reflects on changes in practices and protocols which have been initiated by twelve pipes now on exhibit at the Manitoba Museum (Matthews 2021). In local Indigenous languages, these pipes are spoken of as diplomats and teachers acting in the museum on behalf of First Nations people. This very overt decolonizing role has transformed museum practice at the Manitoba Museum and continues to challenge the museum’s interpretive authority. New travel cases were designed so the pipes can be handled in ceremonies entirely by the Oshkaabewisag, the apprentices of senior Ceremonial elders, without museum staff intervention. New signage, in their absence, speaks of them visiting their communities. The pipes, as Indigenous other-than-human-persons, have changed the museum’s social, ceremonial, and institutional approach to its collections and initiated a process of substantially renegotiating interpretive and administrative authority.
Lucy Bell (Simon Fraser University)
Paper short abstract:
Lucy co-founded the Haida Repatriation committee, successfully returning 500+ Ancestral remains, co-authored the Indigenous Repatriation Handbook & Repatriation Cost Analysis. Exposing racism at the Royal BC Museum, she champions sector change while advocating for a Canadian repatriation framework.
Paper long abstract:
In the 1990s, Lucy earned a degree in Anthropology, but she hesitated to share this with her Haida Indigenous community. Disheartened by the field, she found solace in museology, propelling her towards impactful repatriation and collaborative museum initiatives. Lucy co-founded the Haida Repatriation Committee, orchestrating the successful return of over 500 ancestral remains from global museums and co-authoring the influential Indigenous Repatriation Handbook. In this enlightening discussion, Lucy delves into her personal journey with repatriation, shedding light on her experiences as Head of the Indigenous Department at the Royal BC Museum and exposing instances of racism within the institution. Her advocacy extends beyond individual incidents, aiming for systemic change in the museum sector. Lucy addresses the complexities of repatriation, sharing insights from the BC repatriation cost analysis she co-authored. Furthermore, she passionately advocates for the establishment of a Canadian repatriation framework, emphasizing the need for nationwide support. Join Lucy as she navigates the intricacies of her repatriation efforts, confronts institutional racism, and champions a transformative vision for the museum sector, underlining the importance of both individual actions and broader systemic reforms in fostering cultural understanding and respect.
Amanda McLeod (Southern Chiefs' Organization Inc.)
Paper short abstract:
With a critical eye on the colonial lens still visible in many museums and institutions today, this paper will examine the notion of “decolonization” from an Indigenous perspective, drawing on personal experiences as an Indigenous professional in the conservation and curatorial fields.
Paper long abstract:
This paper will examine the notion of “decolonization” from an Indigenous perspective, starting with the question: “What are museums?” Historically, they were viewed as having practical value and their artifacts and exhibitions were tools for research, teaching, and learning. Many museums in Canada followed the 19th-century British model, whose collections were largely compiled by those who saw their efforts as a way of “preserving the past,” believing that Indigenous communities would soon fade into obscurity; this relegated Indigenous peoples to the position of the marginalized “Other,” pre-modern, or even extinct. With Western museums having had custody and patrimony over Indigenous material, memory, and history for centuries, the colonial narrative was imposed and is still visible in many institutions today.
“Decolonization” is fast becoming a critical paradigm in the museum field, especially in Canada. However, this methodology is vastly different from an Indigenous perspective than from an institutional one. Although many believe diversity and inclusion are quick one-shot ways of incorporating this, superficially inviting Indigenous people into the institutional space to increase the percentage of Indigenous staff and help improve exhibitions is not enough. Museums aiming for true “decolonization” and, by extension, “reconciliation,” must face the realities of their own colonial histories. This involves taking responsibility and re-evaluating their relationships to objects and communities; changing attitudes of being the “owners” to that of “custodians” of relevant objects, stories, and histories, with an obligation to their creators; and acknowledging the effects and repercussions of unbalanced and often predatory relationships and practices.
India Young
Paper short abstract:
Before Reconciliation comes Truth. How can an institution make colonizing actions and actors visible within records, databases, policies, and budget lines? This paper provides examples of shifts in everyday museum practices as first steps towards institutional truth telling.
Paper long abstract:
Before Reconciliation comes Truth. This paper visits the everyday actions that museum workers can undertake to address the truths of their collections and institutional histories. Given the calls to action from Indigenous museum professionals within Canada in recent years, and enshrined in the articles and calls from the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Canadian Museum Association’s Move To Action Report, every individual working within a museum has obligations and responsibilities to decolonization. Creating hospitable environments for Indigenous staff, researchers, and communities requires listening, acting with transparency, and resourcing as a mechanism of restitution. What would it look like for an institution to define the colonizing strategies used historically and today to enact and maintain diasporas of belonging(s)? How can an institution make those actions and actors visible? How can truths become that ever-trending word--accessible--within records, databases, policies and budget lines? This paper looks at some projects undertaken at Princeton University Art Museum and at the Royal BC Museum in British Columbia to evaluate everyday labour within museums and how shifting simple practices might provide a first step towards institutional truth telling.
Suzanne McLeod (University of Manitoba)
Paper short abstract:
Collections of Indigenous "artifacts", or “Ancestor Beings”, acquired by universities—often without the consent or knowledge of the community—create ethical challenges. Repatriation and rematriation, at the direction of Indigenous people, attempt to address years of institutional colonial violence.
Paper long abstract:
Universities across Canada are grappling with the discovery and possession of Indigenous "artifacts" collected by departments throughout the years, often without the consent or knowledge of the community, including Anthropology, Archaeology, Ethnology, and Medicine. Material and cultural items, along with human remains, have been housed or stored unceremoniously for decades within formaldehyde, plastic bags, wooden bins, cardboard boxes, jars, drawers, and/or closets. Referred to as "artifacts" by mainstream institutions, Indigenous people say these items are Ancestor Beings and Belongings, respecting the power and life force that each of these materials embodies. There is a trend among Canadian institutions to acknowledge the harms and complicity in the collecting practices as a result of colonial violence, and the disrespect and harm to Indigenous people and sacred places. Multiple universities and departments have acknowledged, to varying degrees, their responsibility in repairing the relationship between themselves and Indigenous people, via the development of policies and issuance of formal apologies. Activities such as the repatriation of material and cultural items back to communities (at the direction of communities) and rematriation--the return of human remains to the earth through ceremony under the guidance of Indigenous Elders--are just some of the more recent undertakings by institutions. This presentation will provide specific examples that draw on cultural processes, collaborations with University leadership, and the complexity of relationships that must be built with Indigenous populations to begin to address the ethical and moral challenges created by years of institutional disempowerment and disregard.