“Nothing About Us Without Us”: Decolonizing the Museum

I came into the museum profession because I’m passionate about sharing our collective history and I believe in the power of exhibitions to tell underrepresented stories and break down barriers. This path makes the best use of my skill set to, in some small way, to change the world. I may not be able to cure cancer, but I hope to be able to help someone feel represented, encourage others to open their minds, and help dispel the myth that history is boring or irrelevant.

Museums are incredibly safe spaces for me. I feel welcome walking into the door, ready to learn something new. I rarely have to worry that about how the various facets of my identity will be represented. In America, this privilege is often only afforded to straight, white, cisgender people. Many LGBTQ+, Black, Brown, and Indigenous individuals are not able to walk into a museum with the same expectations I do.

After decades or even centuries of incorrect or downright offensive depictions in museum spaces, minority populations justifiably harbor distrust and even ill-will toward museums of all stripes. Amy Lonetree’s Decolonizing Museums: Representing Native America in National and Tribal Museums advocates for placing the Native narrative back in Indigenous hands in ways that explicitly deal with the brutal history of colonialism and its lasting effects.

The three case studies she details – the Minnesota Historical Society’s collaboration with the Mill Lacs Band of Ojibwe, the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall, and the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture & Lifeways –  span the spectrum of Indigenous control over museum spaces from advisory committees to complete tribal control. From her unique perspective (personally working with many of these institutions), Lonetree addresses the successes and challenges of each. Though she commends the strides made in Indigenous collaboration and representation in museum spaces, she personally defines success based on how the museum deals with the issues that plague Native American communities today, stemming from the United States’ government’s heinous attempt at genocide of Indigenous peoples.

This book was an incredible reminder that sometimes the best thing I can do as a museum professional is to get as far out of the way as possible. Even with good intentions, it is not my place to tell Indigenous stories without the contribution of Indigenous people. This sentiment is best put in the phrase “nothing about us without us.” For many museum professionals, Native stories often aren’t personal. However, for Native Americans, these stories “involve life, ancestors, culture, [their] continued existence, and future generations.” (27) This is not something to take lightly.

The most important thing non-Native museums can do is build relationships with the people whose lands we live on and work to make ourselves worthy of their trust. This is something that has been reinforced in recent sessions of the American Association of State and Local History’s conference. If you don’t know something, pick up the phone and call. If you’re not sure whether it’s appropriate to display an object or not, reach out to the experts. Ideally, if you’re dealing with Native stories, you should be including Native voices in every step of the process.

“Nothing about us without us.” We as museum professionals have a horrible track record with dealing respectfully with Indigenous populations. We still have a way to go. But the work is incredibly important – the more we center Native voices, the more we create inclusive, welcoming spaces that dispel misconceptions and stereotypes and help heal the effects of the painful past.