Historical Museum of Bay County works closely with community

On the 20th of this month, I visited the Historical Museum of Bay County in Bay City, MI. The museum has worked closely with the tribes in the area to produce an accurate, non-offensive representation of their history. One of the first exhibits visitors see is a representation of a Native American medicine wheel. The wheel itself would be too big to fit in the museum’s space so mirrors are used to give the illusion of a full circle. An important component of a medicine wheel, besides the four quarters, is a grandfather stone in the center of the circle. With the mirrors, 4 stones are visible in the reflection instead of just one. Museum staff were concerned that this major flaw would upset the tribes members they were working with but when the tribe came through the museum, it was declared that the medicine wheel the museum had constructed wasn’t a wheel at all. The staff were relieved as this meant their representation could still be understood by visitors but would not offend the Native Americans whose story they were trying to tell. The local tribe also constructed the section of wigwam on display and many different artifacts used in hands on programs at the museum. In museums there is a certain give and take between the museum and its visitors and the museum and the communities it interacts with. The tribal relations at the Historical Museum of Bay County are a prime example of these different relationships that one can find at institutions both big and small. 

Historical Museum of Bay County
Medicine Wheel Exhibit
Photo by: JoAnna Lincoln