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.