Abstract

This thesis examines Native souvenir arts of the Northeastern Woodlands and their inclusion within collections and exhibitions in Western museums. Since Western scholars have for the most part perceived Native souvenir arts as inauthentic, these objects have not only been excluded from serious study, but Western museums have rarely exhibited them on a large scale. While emerging shifts in exhibition practices have been taking place since the mid-twentieth century and Native souvenir arts have been finding their way into Western museums, the inclusion of this type of object within exhibitions is uncommon. For this reason, the display of a large number of souvenir arts in Across Borders: Beadwork in Iroquois Life , presented at the McCord Museum of Canadian History, Montreal, from June 17 th , 1999, to January 9 th , 2000, proved useful for this study and is thus the focus around which this thesis pivots.