ABSTRACT

Over the past two decades considerable debate has arisen in anthropology juxtaposing the rights and obligations of the anthropologist with those of the people who constitute the subject matter of anthropological discourse. This intersection of anthropology and indigenous (and other marginalised) people is especially magnified within museums. These institutions have long served as repositories for the exotica collected from Native cultures and museum exhibits have been windows into these Other cultures. With rare exceptions these windows have been constructed and illuminated by Western curators and, therefore, present refracted views of their subjects. And yet, these exhibits are tremendously powerful vehicles for informing public knowledge and shaping public attitudes toward Other cultures.