The difference between physical and digital objects is very vast. While yes digital objects are more easily accessible, seeing artifacts in person and interacting with said object is so much more immersive than simply seeing it on a screen. There is also the issue of the objects that are only meant for certain people. If an object that is traditionally a woman only thing gets found and put on display, it removes the sacredness and specialty from that object and also objects like it that are still being used. Some of the difficulties I ran into were that of not being able to see the items in their full detail. There were times where internet connection was so bad that all I could do was see the blurred outline and read the descriptions of a given artifact so I was often left wondering what I was even looking at. Turning towards ethics, having the ability to access any specific artifact or object for the purposes of furthering research is great and allows for faster progress in solving some of the mysteries that got wiped out through battles and desertion. But when museums begin to refuse access to objects that belong to tribes simply because the NMAIA does not apply to them and they aren’t recognized by a government that was established on stolen land and taken lives, that is when the ethical issues begin to boil over.
2 thoughts on “Week #7 Izayiah H”
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Hi Izayiah! Thank you so much for sharing these thoughts. It is interesting to think about the difference between physical and digital items, as well as how our experience changes when interacting with these sources. Although search engines can make our research infinitely easier, there are critical limitations with such technology. Especially when grappling with Native history, we need to be aware of how these platforms might replicate colonial systems of preserving and presenting knowledge. As we increasingly “do history” in a digital age, we can work to make these platforms/collections more representative, collaborative, and equitable for all.
Hi Izayiah, I read your blog post and agree with many things! Before taking this class, I didn’t think about whether people were allowed to see an object or not. Although it would be nice to see an artifact in person and interact with it, there are many factors that play a part, such as it not being an object that everyone is allowed to see. I agree with your statement about how it removes the sacredness and specialty of the object. It is also very unfair and it infuriates me when museums refuse to return stolen objects that don’t belong to them in the first place. I’m sorry to hear that you ran into difficulties, such as not having an internet connection, but I’m sure you were able to overcome those obstacles.