Making decolonial approaches actionable

Bishop Museum in Hawai‘i was established in 1889 with a founding collection from ke ali‘i Bernice Pauahi Bishop. Named in her honour, the museum became the steward of ali‘i (chiefs, kings, queens) collections from Princess Ruth, Queen Lili‘uokalani, Queen Kapi‘olani, Princess Kaiulani and others related to the Kamehameha and Kal¯akaua genealogies.

The museum’s holdings grew to include an incredible arts and humanities collection, archaeology and public history collections, and natural history collections spanning a range of science disciplines.

The museum’s staff developed curatorial and caretaking practices that, in certain instances, integrated Hawaiian methodologies and, in others, adopted extractive methodologies common in the early 20th century. 

Both approaches significantly impacted people and places in Hawai‘i and across Oceania. Pieces in the collection were removed from their original context for preservation and research, in some cases without consent from the Indigenous source communities.

Now, we are witnessing the growing recognition of voices from those communities. We are evolving how we work to grapple with these institutional histories and to collaboratively identify the real needs of the communities we serve. 

We work closely with Indigenous people and source communities in Hawaii and Oceania to align with their wishes for improved access to collections, customary care for pieces that we steward, co-created projects and exhibitions, and the return of cultural belongings that were removed without consent from their homes.    

Bishop Museum acknowledges the many definitions for rematriation, and leans into one by Thunder Bay Public Library and the Re-Imagining Value Action Lab as “the restoration of right relationships and a true action of decolonisation, aimed not just at righting a past wrong but transforming our collective future”.

Ancestral collections held in museums are bearers of traditional and cultural knowledge. Access to these collections is an important part of cultural revitalisation efforts. Physical interaction with and observation of ancestral collections can be part of the healing process for communities that experienced systemic trauma, to rebuild and reconnect after profound cultural loss. 

Bishop Museum’s cultural resources division is undertaking initiatives with colleagues and with community members globally to foster relationships that encourage dialogue, collaboration and access to ancestral collections.

We embrace the framework of rematriation as we aim to be community centred, to create conversations around the collections we steward so that we might jointly care for cultural material and, if appropriate, return those that came to the museum through methods of violence. 

Where repatriation implies the return of collections to a group or country, rematriation encourages a relationshipwith those whose collections we steward. We hope to grow these relationships into partnerships and create meaningful exchanges. This can take the form of shared stewardship agreements or joint research initiatives. 

In situations where the ethical return of collections is desired by the community, teams from collections, registration, curatorial and leadership work with our board and community representatives on transitioning their collections home. 

Building relationships with the communities whose collections we steward takes time. As representatives of the institution that received these collections, we often find ourselves navigating difficult conversations. The museum’s history of implementing extractive collecting practices complicates these discussions.

We often describe the process as moving at the pace of trust. Partnering with Indigenous groups and institutions in home counties brings a depth of meaning to our daily work and, despite the challenges, brings opportunities to improve museum methodologies. 

Rematriation allows us to create a system of work rooted in transparency, dialogue and collaboration. Through this process, we are working with community members and organisations on multi-year projects, long-term access to collections, co-created exhibitions and re-occurring programmes. 

Most importantly, we recognise that there are times when the return of ancestral collections is important to help communities heal and build a vibrant cultural identity. This process is part of a larger shift in museums that makes decolonial approaches actionable, and stems from a foundation of respect for Indigenous cultures and histories.

Kayla Ku‘ualoha Annen is the ethnology collection manager at Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawai‘i