Exhibiting one's culture: two case studies. The Kwagiulth Museum and the U'Mista Cultural Centre

Marie Mauzé (1)

1 LAS - Laboratoire d'anthropologie sociale

Following the repatriation of the Potlatch Collection confiscated by the Canadian government in 1922 to the Kwakwaka'wakw at the end of 1970s by the Canadian government, two local museums were built, the Kwagiulth Museum in Cape Mudge and the U'Mista Cultural Centre in Alert Bay. The article examines how each museum present the history of the potlatch during the colonial period and their approach regarding the access to collections, the implementation of the educational programs. Both museums are concerned with the reconstitution of what they judge to be the "traditional" context of the confiscated pieces and address themselves both to a local and a larger audience.

Mots clés: Kwagiulth Museum; U'Mista Cultural Centre; Potlatch Collection; confiscation; repatriation; heritage

Domaines: Anthropologie sociale et ethnologie; Héritage culturel et muséologie

Marie Mauzé. Exhibiting one's culture: two case studies. The Kwagiulth Museum and the U'Mista Cultural Centre. European Review of Native American Studies, 1992, 6 (1), pp.27-30. ⟨hal-01324204⟩