Access to Native American Collections at the Abbe Museum

FAIN: PW-259039-18

Abbe Museum (Bar Harbor, ME 04609-1782)
Julia Gray (Project Director: July 2017 to May 2018)
Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko (Project Director: May 2018 to June 2018)
Jodi DeBruyne (Project Director: June 2018 to January 2020)
Julia Gray (Project Director: January 2020 to April 2021)
Lyle M. Cairdeas (Project Director: April 2021 to May 2024)

The Abbe Museum is requesting funding through the Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Foundations program to collaboratively develop and assess processes, systems, tools, and workflows to connect traditional cultural knowledge to Wabanaki collections at the Abbe Museum. These processes and tools will at the same time enable Native communities to reclaim control over access to and use of their cultural heritage. This project is a critical part of decolonizing our collections care, management, and interpretation practices at the Abbe Museum. It will add invaluable information that significantly increases the cultural and intellectual relevance and value of a unique humanities collection.

Associated Products

Abbe Museum Mukurtu (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Abbe Museum Mukurtu
Author: Abbe Museum
Abstract: For this project the Abbe Museum is using Mukurtu as an online content management database. The site is used to share current collection information and record metadata with the Wabanaki communities and collection community and traditional knowledge associated to and with the Abbe's collections.
Year: 2018
Primary URL: http://abbemukurtu.org/
Access Model: Currently access is by log-in only and is limited to project participants

Abbe Museum Mukurtu (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Abbe Museum Mukurtu
Author: Abbe Museum
Abstract: For the Abbe Museum’s Decolonizing Collections Management and Access project, the Abbe Museum established a Mukurtu site for online content management. This website is used to share current collection information and record metadata with the Wabanaki Nations. It will also be used to capture information and Traditional Knowledge (TK) Labels shared back from the Wabanaki Nations.
Year: 2018
Primary URL: http://abbemukurtu.org/
Access Model: Access is currently limited to project participants

Stitching Ourselves Together (Exhibition)
Title: Stitching Ourselves Together
Curator: Jennifer Pictou
Curator: Tara Fracis
Abstract: This exhibit is the latest collaboration between Wabanaki community members and the Abbe Museum. It is presented from a first-person perspective, with Mi’kmaq artisans and culture keepers sharing their experiences working with quills. Community curator Jennifer Pictou (Mi’kmaq) explains, “When we, as Mi’kmaq people, are involved in the curation and narration of our own history we are able to correct the incomplete and often erroneous narratives assigned to our existence. Academics have often misidentified the motifs represented in our quill art or applied their own experiences and beliefs to our imagery. This Euro-centric interpretation negates our Indigenous use of symbols, styles, and patterns.” Stitching Ourselves Together challenges common misconceptions around this traditional art form. The displays include historical and contemporary pieces from skilled Mi’kmaq quillworkers and artist profiles from the “Quillers of the Dawn” group working to revive the art form.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: http://https://www.abbemuseum.org/currentexhibits
Primary URL Description: This is a listing of current exhibits on display at the Abbe Museum
Secondary URL: http://https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1mdBseP3cXg8f4yk1bEe_Q
Secondary URL Description: Abbe Museum YouTube channel where you can watch videos produced for the Stitching Ourselves Together exhibit

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