The Importance of Collaborative Curation of Indigenous Artefacts in Ditsong national museum of cultural history

Abstract (English)

The researcher believes that we are at a space in our society where we find the importance of repartition and restitution of African material culture to restore the dignity of the communities the objects represent. The importance of co-curating artefacts has become vital as many scholars have discovered its importance (MuseumNet, 2020). The researcher observed through this research that museums struggle to make sense of objects and their meanings. In order to better understand the role communities play in the presentation and curation of their artefacts in museums, the researcher acquired information regarding this matter of discussion from museums, institutions of higher learning, and an indigenous community in the Blouberg region of Limpopo.
The study looked at the importance of the collaborative curation of indigenous artefacts in the Ditsong National Museum of Cultural History and the function of indigenous communities in preserving their treasures in the Makabeng community and the examination of laws that protect the study and exhibition of indigenous artefacts.
The research’s objective was to explore the role of collaborative curation in Ditsong National Museum of Cultural History in the integration of Indigenous Knowledge Systems.
The researcher engaged with the Blouberg communities (Makabeng and Bahanawa communities) that exhibited their collection at the Museum of Ditsong National Museum of Cultural History and learned of their challenges as communities working with institutions and their contributions in the exhibitions of their artefacts.
An interpretive approach was used as it is a case study involving only one museum; however, the researcher also had conversations with curators from Iziko Museums to better understand their approach and how they managed to involve indigenous people in their exhibitions and the curation process of indigenous artefacts. To facilitate this topic and start a new conversation among institutions and communities, the Ditsong National Museum of Cultural History has allowed the researcher to ask questions openly and connect the researcher with the appropriate community members.
This research provided a critical observation of South African policies created for preserving and protecting museum artefacts. The researcher realises how well-written and protected indigenous peoples are in our policies; however, the problem lies in the lack of awareness of these policies in indigenous communities, and neither are the policies translated into indigenous languages. The policy makers and government organisations such as the heritage agency mentioned that they can only provide awareness at a national level, and that the responsibility lays on the municipalities and district to create awareness campaigns about these policies in the languages suited for those communities.
The researcher realised the importance of co-curation based on a variety of factors, such as that many artefacts are dated incorrectly due to the objects being left for a long time without dated