I appreaciate you and your museum's attempts to include members of the
First Nation during the Thanksgiving day. First of all I prefer the Canadian
term, First Nation instead of Natives.

Your exhibition was about "ancestral memories" and the storytelling
was scheduled for the Thanksgiving day. The woman's outpouring was
suprisingly and obviously not appreaciated by the caller and
like-minded people. It is so unfortunate that one has not fully
thanked these people yet. Instead one forgets  what situation
they are in and the fact that they still suffer in their own
homeland. Your exhibition intends to present the First Nation in a
contemparary light as living, breathing and fully functioning members
of the society. It sounds as if it is about animals. Besides, if one
wishes to see and understand these honourable people in modern
world one should see them in  current situation: good and bad... We
cannot ignore the past and what is happening to them now. We should
admit it. The storytelling event was an opprtunity for them to bring
out such issues to life. Can we blame them for it? It is easy to
ignore and leave it as this lady did so during the event. The virtue
is to think why we let this happen and act upon the reasons. I
suggest your museum and others organise similar events more often to
bring both communites closer.

Unfortunately. the examples of indegenous people involvement for
exhbitions are very rare. Should they have any the meaning and view
takes a different shape. It becomes more real. We do not allow them
to present themselves from their point of view. I believe it is nicer to see
them  from their eyes.

You and the caller disaggre that museums should be used as political
platforms. I disagree with both of you. Museum exhibitions are not supposed to
be single-minded They should present the facts and the visitor will
decide what to make out of it. The storytelling and the reality
revealed by the man's wife shoud have been considered part of the
exhibition and the event. If your exhibition and the museum in
general does not include associated matters it will not cover the
whole issue, full picture. We will not do our duty as modern museum
professionals.

Once Picasso said "Museums are full of lies". I think we should prove
him wrong.

Funda Pakis
MA Museum Studies
Manchester/UK