Ethnographic Museums and Source Communities: A Collaborative Study of Ceramic Collections from Tonalá (Mexico)

Abstract

This article analyses the evolving approaches of ethnographic museums to the study and representation of the world’s cultural heritage, with a particular focus on the engagement of source communities as experts within museum activities. Collaboration with source communities presents opportunities for the development of exhibitions and research projects that offer more comprehensive reflections of cultural heritage, incorporating the knowledge and experience of indigenous peoples. The article examines a range of collaborative modalities between museums and indigenous communities that extend beyond the physical repatriation of collections. These modalities include visual and virtual repatriation, the repatriation of knowledge, and the co-creation of exhibitions. The analysis encompasses the experiences of both foreign and Russian museums, with specific attention given to the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (the Kunstkamera), Russian Academy of Sciences. As a case study illustrating the potential of collaboration, the article presents an instance of engagement with artisans from the pottery centrе of Tonalá, Mexico, in the study of 18th-century Tonaltec ceramic collections. This example demonstrates how the initiative, active participation, confident expertise, and professional interest of potters transform them from “informants” into equal participants in the research process. In conclusion, the author argues that collaborative study of museum collections constitutes an effective means of bridging the gap between the museum as a repository of objects and the communities for whom these objects represent cultural heritage. The emerging expertise of source communities is presented as an asset rather than a challenge. The author emphasises the importance of flexible research methodologies, openness to dialogue, and shared responsibility in establishing equitable relationships between museums and source communities.