Native American Narratives in Museum Interpretation: Case Studies in Illinois

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Museums as institutions have a storied history regarding the presentation of Native American cultures and histories to the public. Much has been done to address this issue, although the topic remains difficult to explain succinctly to those without prior knowledge. Often, the interpretation of artifacts is oversimplified and leads to confusion or misunderstanding by museumgoers regarding cultural significance of sites or artifacts. This misunderstanding can be harmful for not only the visitor’s education, but the institutions as well, as this can lead to the appearance of support of common cultural misunderstandings that continue to proliferate in contemporary culture.

I analyze a broad range of information presentation at various mound group sites in Illinois to explore interpretations of Native American cultures and how heritagization is reaffirmed or subverted in public education. I focus on the language used in the presentation of similar artifacts and the implications this has on the public’s understandings of the topics at hand (e.g., subsistence, trade, etc.).

This research provides insight into the public’s understandings of information presented by institutions regarding Native American cultures to reevaluate public presentations for greater comprehension.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37155.0