ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 considers the insight that an understanding of the disparate cultural perspectives of assemblage components will have to the past and present lives of the tangible heritage at the centre of this research. It outlines the indigenous engagement praxis that emerged from the disassembly reassembly of the first contextualised study of a heritage assemblage over time which shows that actor-networks are ongoing and that indigenous assemblages continue to form and reform as a result of interactions between their component parts. This praxis combines a range of developments in contemporary museum practice for museum-indigenous community engagement which have proved effective in New Zealand and other settler-colonies. It therefore has potential application elsewhere for building relationships between indigenous communities and the custodians of their museum-held heritage when distance is a factor.
