Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Education

Major

Educational Practice

Date of Defense

6-10-2025

Graduate Advisor

Theresa Coble

Committee

Keith Miller

Laura Westhoff

Christina Cid

Lisa Conard Frost (Tsa-la-gi ᏣᎳᎩ Cherokee)

Abstract

Many public museums and historic institutions reflect settler colonial culture and are primarily non-Native led. Although these institutions are trusted, many have perpetuated cultural harm through the theft of belongings, the misrepresentation of stories and histories, and the inaccurate portrayals of cultural content. When interpreting Native American experiences, many non-Native institutions struggle to co-create culturally responsive interpretation. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to apply the four-truth framework, developed by the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to better understand how the High Desert Museum approached the interpretation of Native American content and stories and to explore how a culturally responsive non-Native institution interprets the High Desert Plateau. Along with an introduction and conclusion, this dissertation includes two products that highlight our findings in different ways: an academic journal article and a creative nonfiction chapter. Both products feature themes derived from reflexive thematic analysis and illustrate how to interpret Native American stories to minimize harm, celebrate Indigenous resiliency, and support deep partnerships. We conducted 16 semi-structured interviews with Indigenous and non-Indigenous staff, volunteers, and partners; 10 visitor interviews; onsite observations; and an analysis of museum exhibits. We found that as the High Desert Museum worked iteratively to cultivate relational accountability, practice story stewardship, and center Indigenous worldviews, a synergistic effect emerged. This synergy resulted in exhibits and programs that fostered meaningful connections and nurtured a sense of belonging. We argue that focusing on relational accountability, Indigenous worldviews, and story stewardship, while engaging iteratively in readiness and reflection, creates a foundation for culturally responsive interpretation. We anticipate that culturally responsive interpretation could be applied to other non-Native sites of public history, could help foster deep partnerships with marginalized communities, and could mitigate cultural harm and promote cultural healing.

Download

Share

COinS