ABSTRACT
The responsibility of the museum to the exhibited culture itself as a source has been supplanted by an ideology of "salvage" or preservation that severs the cultural artifact from its creative context and leaves the housing institution as the culture's primary spokesperson. Museums have ultimately legitimized particular interpretations while failing—or refusing—to acknowledge the history of that interpretation. In 1988, at the Olympics' flagship exhibit, The Spirit Sings, these "cultural objects" were invited back to the Glenbow Museum to speak of the moment of that diversity and richness. The international character of a winter Olympics suggested to the Glenbow Museum a parallel scope for its companion exhibit. However, as the exhibit's curator argued, it was also an unprecedented opportunity to "educate" its audience "about the native heritage" of Canada. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
