- Jan. 16, 2019, 4:00 pm US/Central
- Alaka Wali, The Field Museum
- Chist Stoughton
- Video
The Native American Hall at The Field Museum in Chicago is over 50 years old and in need of an update! It is now scientifically inaccurate, contains harmful stereotypes of Native Americans, and doesn’t represent best museum practice in the care of collections. In this talk, I will discuss how museum staff members are collaborating with Native American scholars, museum professionals and community members to renovate the hall and present a fresh perspective on Native American lifeways and histories. I will discuss new approaches to content and to conservation and collections care. I will also discuss the critical importance of drawing on traditional ecological and cultural expertise.