Museums have been intimately connected to the discipline of anthropology since the colonial era when curiosity cabinets were created to house "exotic" items from afar that were used to represent "exotic" people and their cultures. However, with the postmodern debates in anthropology, both the discipline and museums have begun to realize that most displays reveal more about those who create them than about those who are on display. This realization combined with the rise in Native American concern for the control of material culture that was taken from them and their involvement in civil rights activism has brought Native objects and their display to the forefront of these debates. This has resulted in a push for true collaboration in the discipline as well as museums, which is forcing museums to work with Native Nations in developing displays that fulfill the museums' needs and that relinquish power to Native Nations in the exhibit development process. This project involved the collaboration between the Miami Indians of Indiana and the researcher to create an exhibit that will be displayed in the Miami community. This thesis follows that intimate connection between museums and anthropology and looks at the exhibit to examine what it reveals about Miami community identity. / Department of Anthropology
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/187320 |
Date | January 2002 |
Creators | Carmany, Karstin Marie |
Contributors | Nesper, Larry E. |
Source Sets | Ball State University |
Detected Language | English |
Format | iii, 123 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. |
Source | Virtual Press |
Coverage | n-us-in |
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