neighborhood institutions focused on diverse cultural content as opposed to the

predominantly Anglo-biased displays of older, larger museums at that time.

Collections Accessibility

       New Museology calls for information on collections to be made more accessible,

relevant, and inclusive. As the use of technology and the internet increases among

museum visitors, these tools are more commonly employed to make collections

accessible to both Native and non-Native communities. Collections practices today

acknowledge the complex past in ethnographic collections and generally honor Native

requests for special care or viewing restrictions for sensitive or spiritual objects.

Museums also began considering indigenous input for storing objects according to

cultural values and practices (Simpson 1996, 71). Museums have repositioned

collections management approaches from collections ownership to collections

stewardship.

Native American-museum relationships

        Relationships between Native Americans2 and U.S. museums have developed

stronger rapport and enhanced collaboration strategies, since the field-wide ideological

shift in museum policy and practice at the end of the 20th century. During the 1990s,

museums began consulting Native groups about the identification of objects, the

manner in which Native objects were exhibited, and the negotiation of repatriating

culturally sensitive objects. Museums began to invite Native American input regarding

Native collections and display. Instead of speaking for Native Americans, museums

2 I would like to clarify the intent of the terminology used in this paper. It is presently accepted in the Humanities
fields, including Museum Studies and Anthropology, as well as by most U.S. indigenous communities, to use the
terms American Indian or Native American. The adjective "Native" is used to refer to institutions, practices, objects,
and other elements originating from a Native American group or which is predominantly produced or managed by
Tribal members.