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Abstract
This research report discusses Indigenous cultural representation and its internal critiques, based on the case study of an Indigenous-run museum, the Woodland Cultural Centre, in Canada. Since its establishment in 1972, the Woodland Cultural Centre has strived to promote Indigenous culture, especially First Nations art, and has challenged the general public’s and major museums’ misconceptions that Indigenous cultures are “static” and merely existed in the past. However, interviews with the Centre’s staff members suggest that the Centre’s artistic representation of Iroquoian culture has not always been successful in attracting members of supporting bands. Also, while the Centre has organized cultural events to increase Indigenous visitations, the core functions of the museum, such as research, preservation, and exhibition, are predominantly conducted by museum professionals, which suggests that the museum remains an unfamiliar place to many Indigenous people.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I greatly thank staff of the Woodland Cultural Centre. Without their help, advice, and participation in interviews, I would have never been able to conduct this research. I also thank Rachel Singleton-Polster for her contribution.
Notes
2. 1The number of walk-in visitors in the same period was 9,378.
3. 2These special exhibitions include Ironworkers (1987), focused on the history of Iroquoian ironworkers; Fluffs and Feathers: An Exhibit on the Symbols of Indianness (1988), on false symbols of Indianness and images of Indians in historical and contemporary Canadian society; and Sound of the Drum (1990), which celebrated the many forms of music.
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Notes on contributors
Naohiro Nakamura
Naohiro Nakamura teaches in the School of Geography, Earth Science and Environment at The University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji. His research interests focus on cultural representation of Indigenous peoples, in particular Japan’s Ainu and Canada’s First Nations.