Collections and Objections: Aboriginal Material Culture in Southern Ontario (McGill-Queen's Native and Northern Series) - Hardcover

Hamilton, Michelle

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0773537546 ISBN 13: 9780773537545

Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2010

Synopsis

North America's museums are treasured for their collections of Aboriginal ethnographic and archaeological objects. Yet stories of how these artifacts were acquired often reveal unethical acts and troubling chains of possession, as well as unexpected instances of collaboration. For instance, archaeological excavation of Aboriginal graves was so prevalent in the late-eighteenth century that the government of Upper Canada legislated against it, although this did little to stop the practice. Many objects were collected by non-Native outsiders to preserve cultures perceived to be nearing extinction, while other objects were donated or sold by the same Native communities that later demanded their return. Some Native people collected for museums and even created their own.

About this title

From the Publisher

Table of Contents:

Introduction: Museums, Collectors, and Aboriginal Peoples
Chapter 1: "bric-a-brackers and pot-hunters": Professionals and the Public
Chapter 2: "for the General Good of Science": Historical and Scientific Society Museums
Chapter 3: Aboriginal Responses to Archaeology
Chapter 4: Colonialism, Ethnographic Collecting, and Aboriginal Engagement
Chapter 5: Usable Pasts: Interpreting Aboriginal Material Culture
Conclusion

About the Author

Michelle A. Hamilton is assistant professor and director of public history at the University of Western Ontario.

Edition details

• Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0773537546
• ISBN 13: 9780773537545
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 352