Abstract

Interpreting the past for the public is a basic task for museum archaeologists. The public is a mosaic of groups with special needs and expectations of a museum and includes children, professional and avocational archaeologists, tourists and Native people. For many, the subject matter concerns a culture not only far removed in time, but also one with a fundamentally different premise and world view. The redevelopment of the Native Peoples Gallery at the Saskatchewan Museum of Natural History has provided an opportunity to examine critically our premises about Native cultures and the interpretive techniques used to convey an understanding of those cultures.