In September 2009, the University of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History will install Native American Dioramas in Transition, an interpretive overlay exhibit on and around the Native American dioramas completed by Dr. Robert S. Butsch in 1969. Then, in January 2010, the dioramas will be moved into storage. They will no longer be on display to the public.

This decision is guided by the University’s and the Exhibit Museum’s dedication to advancing scholarship and best practices, collaboration, and support of our diverse community.

What’s wrong with the dioramas?

The dioramas are very popular with visitors, but they are much more complicated and problematic than many visitors may realize. Issues of concern include their context in a natural history museum and the stereotyping and oversimplification inherent in the diorama as a display technique.

Each generation of scholars finds more effective ways to gather knowledge and present it accurately to others. Consequently, norms and best practices change over time in all academic areas, including Museum Studies and Native American Studies. We make a point of being aware of these changes and incorporating them as appropriate. The dioramas were developed at a time when certain cultural groups were commonly featured in natural history museums. Today, natural history museums are increasingly choosing to redo their Native American displays or remove them altogether. There is a growing trend for the creation of new museums dedicated solely to Native cultures.

Each diorama scene is frozen in time, giving the impression that the people existed only in the past. Given the context and emphasis at the Exhibit Museum, some visitors, particularly children, leave the dioramas with the impression that Native Americans are as extinct as the dinosaurs on the second floor below.

Each of these Native American dioramas purports to represent an entire culture, inevitably resorting to stereotypes and simplification. This overlooks the vast multiplicity of real people, who lived in real time — and whose descendants continue on in modern society.

Some viewers also find the miniaturization of the dioramas to be problematic.

Museums around the world are wrestling with issues around how to represent indigenous peoples. The accepted best practice today to avoid misleading and inaccurate representations is to collaborate with communities and to involve the community in determining how it is represented.

Aren’t you just being “politically correct” for a few, at the expense of the many?

Over several years, the Museum heard from both Native and non-Native visitors that the dioramas made them uncomfortable, for a variety of reasons. We looked at what other museums were doing, and what the best practices currently are in the museum field. We worked with Native elders, scholars, students, alumni, and community members to try to address these concerns by relabeling them, adding new, related exhibits, and adding new programming for school groups and the public. Finally, in consultation with faculty in the Native American Studies Program, we decided that these measures were not enough to address our core concerns, best practices and norms. We felt that the best decision was to take them off public display.

Why now?

The decision to remove the dioramas was made some time ago, but the Museum wished to remove the dioramas in the context of educational activities that will help visitors understand the issues involved. U-M’s 2009-10 LSA Theme Year, “Meaningful Objects: Museums in the Academy” offers a perfect opportunity for in-depth educational programs exploring the issues around the dioramas. These include a series organized by the Native American Studies Program and a series of lectures and workshops organized by the Museum Studies Program on “Translating Knowledge: Global Perspectives on Museum and Community.”

Are there plans for new exhibits on Native cultures on campus?

There are ongoing discussions about future displays in other, more appropriate locations on campus.

What will take the place of the dioramas in the Exhibit Museum?

We are working on an exciting overhaul of all the exhibits in the Museum’s 4th floor hallway. Three phases are planned, focusing on Earth Science, Minerals, and Astronomy and Cosmology. The Museum is in a constant process of changing its exhibits. New exhibits will become old favorites with time.