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children, many of them pre-literate and learning through play. Few of this
audience will be descended from the first peoples of America. The exhibition
decisions were informed by particular notions about young children’s pleasures
and comprehension. A degree of historical accuracy was sacrificed in order to
inspire an enthusiasm and empathy for Native American culture in general
amongst preschoolers and primary school children. In economic and marketing
terms it was a success, attracting a new audience to the museum, many of
whom have responded positively to the exhibit. It was not without controversy –
some North American visitors have expressed concern and a trustee resigned in
reaction to it. The Powhatan nation was not consulted (though it takes a strong
position on representations of Pocahontas and has complained to Disney about
the historical distortions in the film).
This example is not being singled out because it is unique, but rather because
it dramatizes some important tensions. It demonstrates how, in museums which
are dependent on ticket sales and have limited state support, the goal of broad-
ening the audience may take precedence over a consistently accurate representa-
tion of a community which has little or no presence in the region. According to
Moira Simpson, museums in European nations ‘now distanced from the prob-
lems they caused’ have been slow to address issues relating to those populations
which have remained in the ex-colonies (Simpson 1996: 2). This is evident in the
Pow Wow exhibit. The exhibits in ‘Empire and Us’ as a whole could be read as a
very particular, liberal version of imperial history; nevertheless the museum,
through its practices and policies, and its community projects (including its
radio station) do demonstrate a sensitivity to questions of cultural diversity
within Bristol and within Britain. Orientation toward the audience does not
necessarily entail consideration or consultation of other stakeholders else-
where. The need for caution in the representation of seventeenth-century
Virginia is not felt as intensely as it would be in Virginia now, nor as intensely as
the need for caution in representing the history of the diverse communities in
Bristol. The example of the Pow Wow exhibition shows how increased sensitiv-
ity to local cultural diversity does not necessarily correspond to more sensitive
representation of all indigenous peoples. It also shows, I think, the non-fit
between the current, market-led emphasis on expanded audiences and broader
understandings of cultural diversity.
Moria Simpson sees museums in non-European Western countries such as
Canada, the United States, New Zealand and Australia as more responsive to
repatriation claims and questions of cultural diversity due to pressure from
indigenous communities (1996: 2). One strategy, practised by the Smithsonian
Institution, and again relating to Native American culture, has been to reinvent
the colonial museum by integrating Native American cultures and practices
within it. The new National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), a