Museums Heritage and Indigenous Voice

<p>Current discourse on Indigenous engagement in museum studies is often dominated by curatorial and academic perspectives in which community voice viewpoints and reflections on their collaborations can be under-represented. This book provides a unique look at Indigenous perspectives on museum community engagement and the process of self-representation specifically how the First Nations Elders of the Blackfoot Confederacy have worked with museums and heritage sites in Alberta Canada to represent their own culture and history. Situated in a post-colonial context the case-study sites are places of contention a politicized environment that highlights commonly hidden issues and naturalized inequalities built into current approaches to community engagement. Data from participant observation archives and in-depth interviewing with participants brings Blackfoot community voice into the text and provides an alternative understanding of self and cross-cultural representation. </p><p>Focusing on the experiences of museum professionals and Blackfoot Elders who have worked with a number of museums and heritage sites <i>Indigenous Voices in Cultural Institutions</i> unpicks the power and politics of engagement on a micro level and how it can be applied more broadly by exposing the limits and challenges of cross-cultural engagement and community self-representation. The result is a volume that provides readers with an in-depth understanding of the nuances of self-representation and decolonization. </p>