Cultural Resource Laws and the Representation of Native Americans in Museums

The image of Native Americans in the United States has changed through the passage of time. Part of this change is directly related to the representation of their cultures in a museum setting and the inception of cultural resource laws that govern them. This research looks at four museums, two in the United States and two in the United Kingdom, and compares their representation of Native Americans. Unlike museums in the United States, museums in the United Kingdom do not have to comply with laws that protect source communities. Laws like the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (1990) have shaped the relationship between museums and Native Americans in the United States. It has fostered a deeper understanding of Native American worldviews in American museum displays. This research demonstrates how American museums have changed the way they plan for and create displays about Native Americans because of cultural resource laws.