Seventeenth International Conference on the Inclusive Museum

Abstract

The American Northwest Indian War is often forgotten in the lengthy discourse of US armed conflict. Its chronological proximity to the American Revolution, combined with the eventual removal of American Indians from their native territories, has refocused attention from the success of the indigenous battle strategies to the timeline of atrocities following. St. Clair’s Defeat at the Battle of the Wabash (1791) and the Battle of Fort Recovery (1794), were two of the largest engagements of the war, and exemplify the settler-Native conflicts and Tribal Nations’ efforts to protect their homelands through these innovative strategies. In an effort to represent these important histories from the perspectives of the associated heritage communities and decolonize the exhibit design process, a project team conducted extensive community-engaged scholarship to develop a representative and empathy-driven national traveling exhibit to present a more nuanced understanding of the Northwest Indian war. Featuring audiovisual, archival, and interactive elements, the exhibit recreates the indigenous inter-nation crescent battle formation to mirror the feeling of enclosure for the settlers, but also introduces visitors to the timeline of atrocities, including broken treaties, discriminatory laws, and eventual removal, that forever separated these tribes from their homelands, ending with a persistence emphasis. While this exhibit is the first step in engaging outside audiences in contested/conflicted heritage, this paper advocates for an inclusive, indigenous community-driven approach to interpreting the Northwest Indian War in US History. Engaging descendent communities in the process from the onset strengthens connections between museums and indigenous stakeholders, benefiting both.