Abstract:
This thesis discusses a small, tribal museum located on the Rosebud Reservation in South
Dakota. The Buechel Memorial Lakota Museum is owned and operated by the St. Francis
Mission, a religious mission run by the Jesuit Order of the Catholic Church. The paper
explores issues of issues of ownership, narrative, authority, and accessibility as they
relate to the current relationships of the local museum and the Sicangu Lakota tribe. It
considers the extent to which introducing technological resources could help safeguard
this museum's vulnerable collection and further its founder’s mission and the tribe’s goals
of cultural education and preservation. This thesis presents ways to increase community
engagement, capitalize on the opportunities for outside partnerships, and it illustrates
steps that to be taken to begin the process of decolonizing the BMLM for the benefit of
the St. Francis Mission and most importantly the Sicangu Lakota people.
