Collaborative museum research with Yup'ik elders FIENUP-RIRODAN, Ann, 2005 Yup’ik Elders at the Ethnologisches Museum Berlin: Fieldwork Turned on Its Head, Seattle and London, University of Washington Press, with Bethel, Calista Elders Council, 337 pages. MEAD, Marie and Ann FIENUP-RIRODAN, 2005 Ciuliamta Akluit: Things of Our Ancestors, Seattle, University of Washington Press, with Bethel, Calista Elders Council, 448 pages.

In 1997 a group of Yup’ik elders from southwest Alaska, translator Marie Mead and anthropologist Ann Fienup-Riordan travelled to the Ethnologisches Museum Berlin to examine objects collected from their region by Johan Adrian Jacobsen from 1882 to 1883. Two products of this project, organized by Fienup-Riordan, are Yup’ik Elders and Ciuliamta Akluit. These books provide an outstanding model of collaboration with indigenous peoples for museum work, perhaps the finest publication to date. Furthermore, given the fears European museums may have about indigenous peoples trying to reclaim objects, Fienup-Riordan provides an enriching, inspiring example of what can be achieved by Native communities, anthropologists and museums through open access to collections despite unresolved cultural property issues. Both publications are derived from translated transcriptions of the elders’ discussions, which were held entirely in Yup’ik. Fienup-Riordan utilized English excerpts for Yup’ik Elders and extensive bilingual sections in Ciuliamta Akluit. According to the author, the importance of Ciuliamta Akluit is that it provides an opportunity to learn about Yup’ik culture from Yup’ik elders themselves and is an example of Yup’ik oratory. The purpose of Yup’ik Elders is to convey the positive climate of their work and so present an alternative to conflicts over object ownership. The author also describes it as an attempt to promote a new direction for anthropology, where anthropologists act as intercultural translators working toward cross-cultural understanding. She successfully meets these goals. Upon turning the pages of Ciuliamta Akluit, a reader cannot be but duly impressed by the Herculean accomplishment of this bilingual text. After thanking contributors, translator Marie Mead clearly conveys the vital importance of their work: “The cultural knowledge and wisdom they shared is priceless and is a link for us, our young people, and future generations to our cultural history and continuity as Yup’ik people” (p. xiii). In the introduction that follows, Fienup-Riordan succinctly describes Jacobsen’s collection and the project’s development. The reader is introduced to the participants and to the Yup’ik people and homeland. The editing process is briefly described, supplemented at the end of the book with a detailed explanation of the Yup’ik language and translation process. Fienup-Riordan also addresses her use of “visual repatriation” to describe their work. She writes that “their primary concern was not to reclaim museum objects but to reown the knowledge and experiences that the objects embodied” and that “instead of resentment at what had been lost and taken from them, they expressed profound gratitude toward both the collectors and the museums for preserving them” (p. xxiii). She proposes that amidst struggles between museums and Native peoples over ownership of objects in museum collections, both can greatly benefit from Native elders’ study of them. The following chapters prove this argument. The book’s chapters are comprised of daily research over fifteen working days at the Museum. On each day, except for the last, elders explained objects and subjects within categories covering a wide range of Yup’ik material culture and activities. This structure allows one to read chronologically or by object type. During their comprehensive discussions, elders gave information on the use and construction of items; shared memories and stories; explained the significance of an object or practice; and expressed their values and concerns, particularly regarding contemporary life. In the last chapter, they comment on their experiences on the project, issues in their communities and their hopes for outcome of their work. Although deemed a companion to Yup’ik Elders, Ciuliamta Akluit would be improved by a few additions that would also allow this excellent volume to stand on its own. The glossary found in Yup’ik Elders would be helpful to …