Customer Reviews

Spirited Encounters: American Indians Protest Museum Policies and Practices

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This book taught me a lot about the issues in museums that have irritated
American Indians. That it took so long for the many protests by American
Indians to get museums to treat them fairly surprised me. This book is
well-written and interesting. I recommend it.

"Spirited Encounters" is insightful and informative. From the introduction and throughout the book, Cooper gives personal experiences she has had in her lifetime regarding museums and how they display and portray Native American History. As a member of the Cherokee Nation, Cooper has vast experience and knowledge of museums, Native American history, their cultures and has been an advocate of having these cultures represented in a positive format throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Cooper provides an array of encounters that Native Americans have participated, in order to have their voices heard. From the 1970's to present day, Native Americans have made forward progress in collaborating with museums in order to have their true histories displayed. Cooper sheds light on the difficulties and trials Native Americans have had not only since their first encounters with European Americans, but especially since the mid twentieth century to present day with getting equal civil rights.

Cooper specifically demonstrates how important Native American protests have been in museum curators and governances realizing the importance of respecting Native cultures. Because of these protests many pieces of legislation, such and the Indian Arts and Crafts Act and probably most importantly, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which has forced museums to reconsider how they treat and display native artifacts. Since the 1990's, museum curators have collaborated and consult with members of Native Nations prior to creating exhibits. Also, many museum governances have added Native Americans to their museum boards.

Cooper does an amazing job with making sure non-native readers realize how important the Native American culture is to the history of U.S. and Canada alike. Native American cultures are not extinct as many museums have portrayed them throughout time, Cooper shows that Native American cultures are alive and well and ready to make new history and are more than willling to share their unique cultures.

I highly reccommend this book to anyone who is studying U.S. or Canadian History for a unique and intriguing perspective on museums and Native Cultures. This is a positive and inspiring book for anyone interested in Native American cultures. Well done.

Karen Cooper provides an insightful look into the adversity and challenges that Native Americans have had to endure, and in some cases-still are enduring, in regards to their religious rights and legal obstacles. Cooper presents her rare perspective as a Native woman in the museum world as she discusses court cases, protests, personal experiences, and arguments concerning a myriad of Native issues. Some of these issues include fair and accurate Native representation; repatriation of Native remains and sacred items; protection of religious practices; protection of native lands, sacred places, and landscapes; ceasing the display of Native American remains; limited representation of Native art; and relationships between Native people and Federal agencies. While many changes have occurred for the good related to Native religious rights, much more has to happen.

I highly recommend this book. More books like this are a necessity and act as catalysts in the progression of the ever-changing museum/archaeology field. As we turn the pages of Native history, we can learn to transform and expand our knowledge while recognizing and affirming the importance for respect and understanding of Native cultures.

This book helps to shed light on the trials and tribulations Native Americans have had to go through to ensure that their religious rights and practices are protected. By providing sources and going into great detail on subjects such as the display of scared objects, the display of Native American remains, and how Native American art is often confined, Karen Cooper successfully portrays the ongoing fight many tribes across the country are still fighting to this day.

By going into great detail regarding the court cases and protests that have almost forced many museums and national park service sites to return sacred objects from their collections and the remains of ancestors from various tribes across the United States (including the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.), Cooper shows beyond a reasonable doubt that Native American rights have never been put in the forefront of lawmakers or museum employees minds as much as they are today. The road to repatriation is still a long one, but in the past 20 years many steps have been taken to right the wrongs that have been done to all Native American tribes for the past 400 years.

By including information on how many Native Americans feel about holidays such as Columbus Day (many Indians mourn this day rather than celebrate it for obvious reasons), Cooper also helps to shed light on the outlooks that many Indian tribes have with regards to the Federal Government and the National Parks Service. By telling in depth stories about the fight for native lands such as Petroglyph National Monument in New Mexico, Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming, and sections of the Badlands in South Dakota, it is obvious that there is still a long way to go with regards to making sure Native Americans are treated fairly with regards to sacred objects and native lands.

Read this book if you are interested in seeing how Native Americans are really dealt with by National Museums, Parks, and the Federal Government. It is a very thorough look at these complex relationships, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to enhance their knowledge of Native American of museum history in the United States.

I read this book for a graduate course on Native American/museum relations. I was very pleased with the content and the atypical perspective. It helped me realize just how far Native American communities have reached to gain their rights today - some of those rights, however, are still denied to them. Cooper presents a well-thought argument and includes her personal experiences as a Native woman in the museum world. I certainly recommend this book to any museum professional regardless of specialty of the museum or your own work. I also highly recommend it to any museum studies or anthropology student. The perspective offered here is one minimally seen, but vitally important.

This book makes me realize that museums can put the wrong "slant" on objects they put on exhibit. You can't believe everything you read or even see sometimes. Do your own research! I am glad that Native Americans protested and can now have some input as to how artifacts are interpreted and exhibited. I recommend that you buy and read this book.