Art Grows Rooted: Using Traditional Ecological Knowledge as an Art Historical Methodology for Native North American Material Culture

Abstract

This article explores traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and suggests how TEK could be used as a methodological approach for understanding Native North American art and material culture stewards in museum collections. Drawing on theories by Native North American scholars and object examples, the paper argues that using this methodological approach as a curatorial framework can elicit a deeper understanding of objects as repositories of stories and kinship and the relational dynamics between people, the environment, and their material culture.