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| Consortium for Museum Ethics and Tribal Relations | |
|---|---|
| Name | Consortium for Museum Ethics and Tribal Relations |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founder | Coalition of Tribal Leaders |
| Type | Nonprofit consortium |
| Headquarters | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Region served | United States, Canada |
| Fields | Cultural heritage, museum studies, Indigenous rights |
Consortium for Museum Ethics and Tribal Relations is a North American nonprofit consortium that advises museums, cultural institutions, and Indigenous nations on ethical stewardship, repatriation, and collaborative curation. The Consortium convenes tribal representatives, museum directors, legal scholars, and curators to develop protocols that intersect with legacy collections, conservation science, and treaty-based claims. Its work has influenced policy debates involving major museums, federal agencies, and Indigenous organizations across the United States and Canada.
The Consortium was formed in the aftermath of high-profile repatriation cases and legislative shifts that included the passage of Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and subsequent judicial and administrative actions involving museums such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Field Museum of Natural History. Early meetings included leaders from the National Congress of American Indians, representatives from the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums, and legal scholars affiliated with Harvard Law School and the University of Arizona. Founding participants included tribal delegations from the Lakota Sioux, Navajo Nation, Haida Nation, and representatives from institutions including the American Alliance of Museums and the Canadian Museum Association. The Consortium’s inaugural symposium followed parallel dialogues such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada reports and the repatriation efforts linked to the Kennewick Man controversy.
The Consortium’s stated mission aligns with principles articulated by tribal elders, museum directors, and scholars associated with Smith College, Columbia University, and the University of British Columbia. Core objectives include creating ethical guidelines influenced by precedents like cases adjudicated in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and policy frameworks informed by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Consortium seeks to reconcile institutional collections held by entities such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology with claims advanced by nations including the Cherokee Nation, Cowichan Tribes, and Six Nations of the Grand River.
Governance is structured around a board composed of tribal-appointed delegates, museum executives, and legal advisors drawn from institutions like the National Museum of the American Indian and academic centers such as the School for Advanced Research. Membership categories include sovereign tribal members, museum members, academic affiliates, and legal partners from firms and clinics tied to Yale Law School and the University of New Mexico. The Consortium’s bylaws reflect input from tribal constitutions and organizational charters comparable to those of the Autry Museum of the American West and the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business.
Programmatic efforts mirror initiatives pioneered by the Museum of Anthropology at UBC and include training workshops for curators patterned after curricula at the Cooper Hewitt, collaborative exhibitions co-developed with the National Gallery of Canada, and repatriation casework paralleling efforts at the American Museum of Natural History. Initiatives include a tribal advisory registry, conservation protocols informed by research at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History, and pilot digital repatriation projects using platforms similar to those at the Digital Public Library of America and the British Museum’s digital collections. The Consortium also operates fellowship programs in partnership with the Ford Foundation and research grants administered with academic partners such as University of Arizona School of Anthropology.
The Consortium promulgates ethical frameworks that reference federal statutes like NAGPRA alongside international instruments such as the UNDRIP and comparative examples from repatriation law in Australia involving the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and the Museums Association (UK). Policy papers address provenance research standards exemplified by cases at the Louvre and restitution discussions involving the Benin Bronzes and institutions like the British Museum. Ethical guidance covers human remains, sacred objects, and culturally sensitive material drawing on precedents from the Havasupai Tribe litigation and museum protocols developed at the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture.
The Consortium maintains partnerships with federal bodies including the National Park Service and the Canadian Heritage ministry, advocacy groups like the Native American Rights Fund, universities such as Arizona State University, and international networks including the International Council of Museums. Collaborative memoranda of understanding have been executed with museums including the Brooklyn Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and regional tribal museums like the Mashantucket Pequot Museum. Cross-border collaborations engage organizations involved in indigenous cultural heritage conservation such as ICOMOS and legal bodies like the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Impact assessments cite successful mediations in repatriation claims involving skeletal collections once cataloged at the Peabody Museum and ceremonial artifacts formerly held by the Royal Ontario Museum. Case studies document collaborative exhibitions co-curated with the Ho-Chunk Nation and negotiated loans between the Metropolitan Museum of Art and tribal museums in the Pacific Northwest rooted in protocols inspired by the Consortium. Evaluations by academics at University of British Columbia and policy analysts connected to the Brookings Institution note shifts in institutional practice, including expanded tribal advisory roles at the Smithsonian and revised acquisition policies at regional institutions such as the Denver Art Museum.
Category:Indigenous cultural heritage organizations Category:Museum studies organizations