Land Claims, Archaeology, and New Communities

Abstract

It was my contention at the start of this book that a people cannot proceed with any kind of land claim, or other legal process, until they have established an identity for themselves, and that a demonstration of their existence is primary to such further action. I argued that if museums, tourist facilities, books, and films present groups of people as if they no longer exist, then they may have a serious problem try­ing to convince others that they do. The case of the Ainu prefaced the book. The case of Australian Aboriginal groups, and especially Tasmanians, came up at the end of the last chapter, where we exam­ined the importance of art, and especially performing arts, for sharing stories and for making outsiders aware of the existence of the people whose stories are being told. In previous chapters, we have seen how contemporary art is used in museums to make this point, and we have seen how the building and operating of a cultural center is a way for people to take control of making their identity clear.

Writingit … just carne out a little while ago.

Johnny Sam, Tagé Cho Hudän Elder