In April of 2026, I successfully defended my master’s thesis with no revisions. In May 2026, I successfully graduated with my Master of Arts, Cultural Management & Museum Studies and a Graduate Certificate in American Indian and Indigenous Studies. However, through all of these moments, my main priority was creating access for community to the work which I had completed with community. Below you will see both a PDF document (free to download) and the presentation created to share the research. Both of these materials were always designed to be open access for anyone in community who wishes to use it in either of the original and complete forms. If you would like to support the author, you are able to make a contribution via PayPal (@thebeadedbadger) but it is not necessary.
If you use this material, please use the following citation
Ramon, Nevaeh G. NDNs in Museums: Braiding Indigenous Methodologies into Memory Institutions, Michigan State University, United States -- Michigan, 2026. ProQuest.
“NDNS IN MUSEUMS - Braiding Indigenous Methodologies into Memory Institutions”
Abstract: The intention of this work is to explore how museums and other historic memory institutions might better engage with Indigenous communities. It is argued that through utilizing Indigenous methodologies in a responsible, reciprocal, and relational way, museums can fulfill their organizational missions in a more holistic manner. Examining first, the history of the violent relationships that museological institutions have with Indigenous North American communities, reveals that it is imperative for museums to repair ongoing harm in the 21st century. Next, through examining two museums (Michigan State University Museums and The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation), we see how major, non-tribal museums are actively utilizing Indigenous methodologies, but not holistically. Conversations with Indigenous community members reveals how in order to begin to embody Indigenous methodology means you have to embody Indigenous values.
Creating Change in Archives
Working with Indigenous Collections in Memory Institutions
In my role as a storyteller within the archive, I actively work to bring identity to the front. As I worked to identify the role I wanted to play in the field of scholarship, I learned to prioritize my Indigeneity within my academic portfolio; and in turn recognized the value that silenced pasts have in telling more holistically truthful stories. Being an urban Native/Chicana woman – I have had the opportunity to engage closely with how identity shapes narrative, particularly in multicultural educational institutions and settings, advocating for the voices of changemakers to be heard. Passion has turned into practice. Not one where I casts my own voice, to speak for others - but instead one where I am centering community in designing engaging, and tangible platforms for communities to bridge those gaps in our collective memory – where previously their voices have been silenced.
Storytelling as Praxis
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Indigenizing Museums in the 21st Century
Click below to watch Nevaeh’s Ignite talk where she shares about the work being done at the Michigan State University Museum
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Multifaceted & Multicultural Online Gallery
Digital repository of the art and belongings being stewarded by the MSU MOSAIC Center for Education & Outreach
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Tiling Student Memories Virtual Exhibit
A fully public and accessible online gallery of the artwork and stories being told by students in the Michigan State University Writing Center