Preservation of Indigenous Collections: Training for Tribal Materials and Museums

FAIN: PE-284454-22

UCLA; Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA 90024-4201)
Ellen Pearlstein (Project Director: May 2021 to present)

A continuing education program for collections stewards that would include six online courses, two in-person regional workshops, and follow-up mentoring to support sustained application of lessons learned, targeted to Native Americans working with tribal materials at museums and cultural centers across the country.

UCLA/Getty respectfully requests $310,632 for: 1) six online courses, 2) two in-person regional workshops, and 3) follow-up mentoring designed to support sustained application of lessons learned, all targeted to reach Native Americans working with tribal materials at museums and cultural centers. The proposal builds on a successful UCLA/Getty history of working with Indigenous communities and will reach up to 136 participants and an equal number of mentees. Increased emergence of American Indian museums and cultural centers speaks to the importance of humanities collections in the preservation and even revitalization of cultural practices, and to the sovereignty behind self-representation. Humanities tribal collections serve to educate tribal youth, provide heritage in support of language learning, and instill pride in intergenerational heritage accomplishments of a community. Tribal museums reach non-tribal visitors and scholars as well, offering a crucial humanities perspective.