Museum Ladder of Indigenization
Building off of Arnstein’s (1969) Ladder of Civic Participation, I created a ladder to help museums navigate creating Indigenized experiences at their cultural sites. This ladder can serve as a roadmap on how to move museums into a place of Indigenization.
NON-PARTICIPATION
Starting at the bottom of the ladder is Non-Participation, meaning there is no participation with Indigenous communities. This section is comprised of the following characteristics:
Omission — Your museum has no Indigenous content.
Unchecked Stereotypes — Your museum might talk about Indigenous people but the presentation is rooted in stereotypes. As an example, this could include only representing Indigenous people in the past.
TOKENISM
The next section is Tokenism, which is when Indigenous people are involved but not in an equitable way. This section is comprised of the following characteristics:
Informed — You may let Indigenous communities know they are represented in the museum without asking for or listening to their input.
Consultant — Your museums might hire one Indigenous person to give their input or give a “rubberstamp” approval to their programming or exhibit.
Placation — Your museum pays “lip service” to Indigenization, meaning that your institution might listen to Tribal or Indigenous partners but do not make the changes needed to transform into an Indigenizing space.
INDIGENIZATION
The last section is Indigenization, which means you are centering Indigenous people at your museum. This section is comprised of the following characteristics:
Consultation — Your museum regularly sits down with Indigenous partners for conversations on how to bring Indigenous content into the museum or what objects to repatriate to communities.
Reciprocal Relationship — Your museum and the Indigenous community help each other and have a two-sided relationship based on trust and respect.
Shared Authority — Your museum is willing to include Indigenous people at the decision-making table or curate an exhibit in their space.
