Not my ancestors! The importance of communication in the display of human remains: a case study from Australia

ABSTRACT

Vikings: Beyond the Legend was shown at the Melbourne Museum (Australia) amongst a backdrop of local debate when it was decided after consultation with the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee that human remains as part of the exhibit would not be displayed. This article assesses reviews and online comments related to the exhibition in Melbourne and compares them with online reviews from Sydney, Colorado, and Nantes where the remains were displayed. Overall, initial public responses show little change between the institutions that did and did not display human remains. However, an increase in negative public response in Melbourne a month into the exhibition’s residency was noticeably. It is argued that news coverage from a parallel exhibition, Real Bodies, shifted communication focus which led to an increase in online participation. Discussion advocates for an in-depth analysis regarding the presentation of non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People remains in Australian museums.

KEYWORDS:

• Australian museums
• online comments
• human remains
• science communication

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Monash University’s Indigenous Studies Centre and the University of New South Wales CABAH node for their support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Note on contributor

Jarrad W. Paul is an Early Career Researcher at the University of New South Wales. An archaeologist by training, Jarrad is particularly interested in how digital technologies can be used to shape our understanding of past peoples.

ORCID

Jarrad W. Paul http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4714-6974