ICYMI: UPDATING THE GLASS CASE

Breaking the Glass Case | Alexandra Forand 

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I have been writing Breaking the Glass Case for over a year now, and in this role I’ve written 15 articles, or at least this will be lucky number 15. Most of my articles tend to rely on current events and I thought I would take a moment and look back on a few articles I have written in the past year, provide some updates, and fill you, dear readers, in on some behind the scenes commentary on why I chose to write these articles.

In April and May of 2019, I released a two-part article on the importance, materiality, and future of the Buffalo titled “Buffing up on Buffalo,” and “Bringing Back the Buffalo.” These articles were originally based off a material heritage portfolio for Professor Cara Kmpotich's MSL 2360: Museums and Indigenous Communities, Changing Relationships Changing Practises. Being from the Prairies, it was important for me to integrate my home into the project. At one time, the Prairies were home to millions of buffalo and the Prairie Peoples relied greatly on these animals, but through disease, drought, and over hunting the buffalo population rapidly declined to near extinction. Recently, communities and government have come together to restore these numbers. I discuss a few enumerations attempts in the original articles, but there has been many others this year alone! On January 7, 2020 Zagime Anishinabek First Nation were gifted 22 bison from Peepeekisis Cree Nation. On January 17, 2020, six calves from Grassland National Park in southern Saskatchewan were unveiled in Wanuskewin. Overtime, this heard is expected to about 50 animals.

Photo courtesy of Michelle Wright. 

In March 2019, I wrote an article entitled “ We Need to Talk, or Not: Language in Museums as a Form of Control.” In, what could be considered my favourite article I have written (thus far), I discuss the International Year of Indigenous Language and its importance. Since then, there have been numerous projects and programs that share this spirit.  Dawnis Kennedy and Anna Parenteau created an Ojibway book and board game called “Boogidi,”which translates to fart, and is potentially one of my favourite instances of language sharing! The pair have been working on the book for three years and the card game for two years. Kennedy and Parenteau, say that the book and card game will teach learners of any skill to think quickly in the language and conjugate verbs.

On CBC North, Betsy Longchamp and Mary Shem have launched the first podcast that uses  Woodland Cree, called Wiih'teh. The pair, discuss  how the Woodland Cree language has evolved,  use Woodland Cree words to discuss the weather, seasons, and other stories, and hope the podcast will encourage children and other young people to learn and speak Cree. you can listen to episode 1: Weather here and episode 2: Names here!

This past summer at Poundmaker Cree Nation (SK), Lanny Real Bird taught a multi-day language camp focusing on Plains Sign Language (PSL). PSL is a historical means of communicating between groups who did not speak the same oral language, and it is still used today. The goal of the gathering ways to teach and preserve this important language tool.

"Sun" in Prairie Sign Language. Source. 

In July 2019, I wrote an article entitled “An Argument for Something Else”: Corrective Art History Right Now." In the article, I discussed Corrective Art History, both what it is and why it is important. This year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art exercised Corrective Art history by installing two of Kent Monkman’s painting, Welcoming the Newcomers and Resurgence of the People. These pieces display a broader perspective of history and culture, challenges art history’s colonial narratives, and provokes the audience to acknowledging the shared history.

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About last night: it was brilliantly fun #repinOCADU last night at the opening of Kent Monkman's @kentmonkman new installation “mistikôsiwak (Wooden Boat People),” now on view in The Great Hall of the @metmuseum. Thanks @ocaduniversity for the opportunity. Miss Chief Eagle Testickle represented with their wonderful creation story and told the diverse audience of over 600 people of the Indigenous fight for sovereignty from Colonization and gender discrimination. The Silver Cloud drummers and singers' invocation was moving. I am so honored that I got to be there for this historical occasion. If the Met can recognize that they are on Indigenous lands (Lenape and many others). Thank you @jimsearle for guiding me through the evening including the afterparty. I met so many new amazing people and experienced the power of @hoaxcouture design as everyone was in love with my gharara pants. #MetKentMonkman #MetGreatHall

A post shared by Dori Tunstall (@deandori_ocadu) on Dec 20, 2019 at 4:45am PST

In November 2019, I wrote an article entitled, "Who Cares: Caring for Spiritual Elements of Objects in Museum Collections." This article had been rolling in my head for nearly a year before I actually sat down to write it. In this article I discussed the action taken by museum professionals to care for not only the physical, but the spiritual elements of objects in collections. This year, at the Yale Art Gallery a show called "Place, Nations, Generations, Beings," is taking place until June 20, 2020. The show displays two centuries worth of First Nation artwork, but even before the artwork was installed the three curators, Katherine Nova McCleary (Little Shell Chippewa-Cree), Leah Tamar Shrestinian, and Joseph Zordan (Bad River Ojibwe) give thanks to the artifacts In the show.

 In the curator catalogue they write to the artwork, "thank you, for allowing us to visit with you, hold you, and speak to you. Thank you for teaching us." 

I greatly enjoyed writing these articles, and I am so very happy that I have the opportunity to go back, update them with new content, and supplement them with my thought process. If you have any other updates, I want to know! Please leave me a link in the comments or via twitter, my handle is @ally_but_online.