This research delves into the impact of established intellectual imperialistic representations and codes of culture imposed on Indigenous populations. The author offers new ways of viewing the critiques of Indigenous peoples and discussions of those representation acts by situating them within Indigenous identity and the manifestations of…

The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, in celebration of the quadricentennial anniversary of Columbus's landing in the Americas, spread over six hundred acres of reclaimed marsh lands in Chicago's South Side. Fourteen great buildings and two hundred additional buildings stood on the fairgrounds, and if tourists had visited every exhibit, they…

In the summer of 1970, the Smithsonian's Festival of American Folklife, an annual event on the National Mall featuring tradition bearers from around the country, premiered a new American Indian program that combined presentations of Native traditions with panel discussions of contemporary social, political, and economic issues facing Native…

In this article, the author argues that if the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) wishes to make a communicable assertion of cultural sovereignty that avoids speaking something not intended to its audiences, then the very act of communication--the rhetorical frame itself--must be examined. This is not to argue for pandering to…

The aim of this article is to move beyond issues of representation and to address how museum meanings are made on the ground in ongoing encounters between displays and the ideational worlds their audiences bring with them into the museum space. In particular, the author explores how contrasting expectations about exhibits can serve as an…

The practice of archaeology includes of a series of events in which a group of objects is transformed from their initial identities as household goods, religious objects, or detritus of everyday life into artifacts, or as the 1906 Antiquities Act describes them, "objects of antiquity." Frequently, artifacts are further re-identified as part of a…

The idea for a retrospective on George Morrison and Allan Houser as one of the inaugural exhibitions at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) came from the NMAI curator of contemporary art, Truman Lowe. An artist and sculptor himself, Lowe knew both artists personally and saw them as mentors and visionaries. Lowe advised an exhibition…

Museums are indeed very painful sites for Native people, as they are intimately tied to the colonization process. The museum world has changed significantly from the days when they were considered "ivory towers of exclusivity" to today when Indigenous people are actively involved in making museums more open and community-relevant sites. In this…

Museums in particular are educational tools used to create and perpetuate specific ideologies and historical memories. They have played a prominent role in defining the visibility of Indigenous peoples and cultures in America historical memory by creating exhibits of Indigenous peoples based on perceptions and views that benefit and justify…

The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) attempts to profoundly change the practice of museology and the role of Indigenous people in museums on a grand scale. In some ways it is successful in its mission, yet other areas leave room for improvement. This article focuses on the improvements that NMAI should adopt. The author also offers…

Describes attempts by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to gain public approval of its policies by presenting school exhibits at world's fairs and expositions from 1893-1904. Explains that although the exhibits touted achievements of assimilation education, they unwittingly added to the growing interest in traditional native life and customs. (NEC)

Examines the nature and history of the Kahnawake Mohawk settlement's participation in the entertainment industry, including some of the Iroquoian roots of ritual parody that contributed to Mohawk performance. Notes some of the effects of entertainment on the settlement's traditional culture. (SB)

In this article the author examines the multifaceted role of the Alaska Federation of Natives crafts fair in the lives of Alaska Native women who have left their home villages and moved into Anchorage, Alaska's largest city. At the same time, this discussion raises broader issues such as the evolving politicization of women traders and the growing…