Learning from Museums with Indigenous Collections: Beyond Repatriation

As indigenous voices become stronger through legislation or other means, museums with indigenous collections must reexamine their approaches to collection, exhibition, and preservation. Traditional approaches to collection management are undergoing change as participation from indigenous and tribal groups increases. This article summarizes these trends and describes the post-modern charters of two museums: the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, and Te Papa Tongarewa/The Museum of New Zealand, in Wellington.