ABSTRACT
There are elders in any tribe and, within the tribe of museum professionals, those who command respect are those who have the ability to step outside the self-perpetuating circle of tribal rites and customs that for m the culture of the museum. They are those who help the museum profession reflect on the values that underlie what are essentially the profession’s habits of mind dressed up in ritual plumage. These elders are those who hold up the mirror so that we museum professionals can begin to perceive our actions and their consequences – those who help ask important questions both of our institutions and of ourselves.
