The Curious Mind

Column #9

 

A Tribute that Should Survive

 

In September of 1993: “A Tribute to Survival” opened at the Milwaukee Public Museum.  It celebrated the continued presence, the many accomplishments, the long history, and the resilience of the twelve tribes who make their home in Wisconsin today.  It was a unique opening because the exhibit had been done by the Museum, working with indigenous people throughout the state.  

 

What does this have to do with my column, “The Curious Mind”?

 

Quite a bit, actually, as it turns out.   Many of us visit Milwaukee from time to time, and many of us visit the Milwaukee Public Museum when we are there and we generally make it a point to stop at the  “Tribute to Survival” exhibit to learn more about the tribes in Wisconsin and scores of other things.  The centerpiece for the exhibit, the life-sized grand entry scene, features figures cast from life including representatives of tribes within a few hours’ drive of the Lakeland Times office including the Mole Lake, Bad River, and Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe, and the Forest County Potawatomi.  

 

The exhibit has won many awards and is seen by tens of thousands of visitors each year, including school groups and families visiting from the Northwoods.  

 

One of the labels says this about the well known display:  Lasting Tribute:  In the fall of 1993 , tribal members across the state joined the Milwaukee Public Museum staff to debut a new exhibition celebrating the history and diversity of Wisconsin’s tribal nations.  The exhibition was ground-breaking.  It was one of the first exhibits about Native people and cultures in the country that was done with, not just about, The People.  From the local American Indian Advisory Council, to the script advisors, the outfit makers and the hundreds of Native people who had their voices heard at general council meetings, The People were key in making this exhibition.  

 

I have been reminded recently, however, that this amazing exhibit may soon  disappear.  The Milwaukee Public Museum is downsizing, probably moving,  and dismantling many of their major exhibits.  What will happen to the Rain Forest, the Dinosaurs, the Streets of Old Milwaukee?  What will happen to Tribute to Survival?  What will happen to my late husband?

 

Yes, total disclosure, I have a very personal stake in this potential disaster.  I was the scriptwriter, video producer, and in the last year of the work, the project coordinator for “A Tribute to Survival.”  I worked with hundreds of indigenous people throughout the state gathering input, outfit pieces, and advice.  I met and married my late husband, George Amour, a man of the Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe Nation, during the design and  creation of this exhibit.  George was one of thirty-seven tribal members in Wisconsin to have their faces cast to serve as a figure in the powwow scene.   Full transparency, I don’t want to see his figure stored away in some basement or old factory storage space somewhere.  I don’t want to see this beautiful, educational exhibit destroyed.

 

So I, along with many other concerned citizens, are looking for another alternative.  I’m working on a book about the making of the exhibit.  A group of us are working on creating a virtual exhibit that preserves the visuals and the teachings.  And we’re looking for a place to move the entire display and everything it has to share and teach.  Maybe in the new Wisconsin State  Historical Society Museum? Maybe at a new Indigenous Cultural Center in Milwaukee, or Green Bay, or Wausau?

 

If you have ideas, please contact me at carol.amour.3@gmail.com.  This curious mind wants to know what can be done to keep “A Tribute to Survival” alive.