Material Culture

Looks at the difference in cultural characteristics and the ramifications on Arctic Small Tool tradition (ASTt) with the Thule ways of life.

Chapter in book: Smithsonian at the Poles: Contributions to International Polar Year Science edited by Igor Krupnik, Michael A. Lang, Scott E. Miller.

Looks at collector who acquired between 700,000 and one million artefacts by 1957.

Discusses the Lubicon boycott of The Spirit Sings exhibition which raised issues such as repatriation, political sponsorship and the political involvement of museums. Entire issue on one pdf. To access article scroll down to appropriate page.

Book reviews of: The Grand Hall by Leslie Tepper. Treasures of the RoyalBritishh Columbia Museum and Archives compiled by Jack Lohman. Entire book review section on one pdf. To access this review scroll to p. 137.

Argues that the elaborately decorated items of clothing made by the Métis were not for their own use and had no relevance to their culture; instead they were created as commodities to be sold to Europeans.

Article focuses on the artwork of people from the northwest coast; notes that historically, scholarship and collection practices have excluded some of the range of artistic production; advocates for more inclusive practices of scholarship, collection, and exhibition.

Author, and guest editor of the section on Critical Engagements with the NMAI (National Museum of the American Indian) discusses the varied response to the museum since its opening two years prior, and introduces the article contained in this section.

Native Studies Thesis (M.A.)--University of Alberta, 2020.

Comments on a controversial exhibition held at the Museum of Modern Art called "'Primitivism' in 20th Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and Modern". Chapter 9 from The Anthropology of Art: A Reader edited by Howard Morphy and Morgan Perkins.

Comments on the laws and the search for missing artifacts related to the ceremony.

Describes relationship-building process which led to the creation of the Hodul'eh-a: A Place of Learning gallery at the Exploration Place Museum and Science Centre in Prince George, BC. The gallery, a collaboration between the city and the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, received a Governor General's Award in Community Programming. The Gallery “serves as a model for how Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities can work together to reclaim traditional spaces, protect cultural assets, and promote a greater understanding and respect for Indigenous history and experiences.”

Author describes the collection of artifacts and clothing amassed by Finnish scientist Henrik Johan Holmberg during an 1851 expedition, and how that collection was purchased by Christian Jürgensen Thomsen for the Museum of Northern Antiquities and is now part of a large collection of skin clothing made by circumpolar Indigenous peoples.

Examines the use of language in the identification of Native American artifacts and the stereotypes that are perpetuated by their usage.

American Studies Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hawai'i, 2014.

Author examines the repatriation of an artifact from the Roald Amundsen/Gjoa Haven Collection held at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, Norway to the Nattilik Heritage Centre in Gjoa Haven.

Exhibition review at the Royal Ontario Museum, Gallery of Indigenous Peoples, Toronto, Ontario, 1995. Entire issue on one pdf. To access review, scroll to page 40.

Overview of the conference addressing issues in Aboriginal performance art.

Quarterly magazine published by the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation. Articles on various topics including a special holiday exhibit and conservation at the museum.

Profiles some of the controversial issues between Native American peoples and archeologists.

Virtual exhibit features over 900 examples of material culture. Main focus is Canada, but also includes some items from United States, Siberia and Greenland.

Examines the role of museums and UNESCO agencies in promoting the recognition and application of Indigenous curation.

Anthropology Thesis (M.A.)--University of Denver, 2020.

Paper from Proceedings of Regional Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research 2008: 5th International Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship (AGSE)

Archaeology Thesis (Ph.D.)--Simon Fraser University, 2015. Includes four cases studies: Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Royal British Columbia Museum, and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

A manual to support communities and museums that are in the beginning stages of planning for the return of cultural properties to their home nations in BC and at national and international levels. Includes case study of repatriating Haida ancestral remains.

Discusses the Elements of Earth ceramics exhibit as a model for collaborations between institutions and Indigenous communities and individuals.

Anthropology Thesis (M.A.)--California State University, Chico, 2010.

Website includes links to publications, videos, podcasts, and teaching resources. International in scope.

American Indian Studies Thesis (M.A.)--University of Arizona, 1997.

History Thesis (Ph.D.)--Kansas State University, 2016.

Introduction to special issue consisting of papers delivered at a conference held May 20-21, 1994 entitled Material Culture in Flux--Repatriation of Cultural Property.

Introduction to the special issue "Indigeneities and Museums: Ongoing Conversations"; discusses the theme of the issue and provides a brief overview of the included articles.

Examines challenges faced by curators, educators, artists, and others when interpretating Native American cultural objects, to ensure representation is done with dignity and an appreciation of historical changes.

Book review: Inua: Spirit World of the Bering Sea Eskimo by William A. Fitzhugh and Susan A. Kaplan.

Brief article describes the process involved in the return of skeletal remains from Denmark to Nunavut. Entire volume on one pdf. To access article scroll down to appropriate page.

Author discusses the shifting systems of meaning and valuation surrounding colour—specifically in trade goods—and how those systems influenced cultures and the trading relationships.

Documentary on the last surviving Yahi who walked out of the bush into a northern California town in 1911 and spent the last four years of his life at the Museum of Anthropology in San Francisco. Duration: 56:43.

Canadian Studies Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 1994.

Extract from a presentation at the Indigenous Perspectives on Repatriation: Moving Forward Together symposium Discusses the process and the work of repatriation, the kinship bonds that are formed while doing the work. Also discusses digital repatriation efforts and projects.

Uses the example of the "Echo Mask" belonging to the Nuxalk of British Columbia to illustrate the problems associated with repatriation. Entire volume on one pdf. To access article scroll down to appropriate page.

Arts and Humanities Thesis (M.A.)--University of Denver, 2010.

Discusses two perspectives on repatriation of cultural property in relation to virtual repatriation and associated community media projects by the Doig River First Nation and the Inuvialuit community in the western Arctic and the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Duration: 40:36

Discusses the historical foundations of the Center which recognizes Native American peoples' heritage and contributions.