Alyce Sadongei believes that ?Tribal museums and cultural centers are unique in that they provide heritage education for tribes and employ Native Americans in presenting and caring for their own culture history? (Sadongei, 2005: n.p.).  Tribal museums obtain their collections from a variety of sources, including some objects and collections repatriated under NAGPRA. These repositories have a wide variety of goals and programs, but all allow tribes to determine how they would like to use the objects, documents, and oral histories from the recent and distant past to present their culture history now and into the future.

These museums are frequently the only place you learn about history of a particular tribe and they tell the story from a tribal perspective. They perpetuate tribal culture and tradition and instill an upbeat tribal identity. They help reinforce treaty rights, exert tribal sovereignty and help hold what little some tribes still have left of their culture (McNeel, 2005: n. p.).

Conclusion

Community (ethnic) museums ?demonstrate the richness of people?s lives to the broader museum audiences while at the same time serving to attract museum visitors to unfamiliar cultural institutions? (Garfield, 1989: 46-47).  Furthermore, with the addition of responsibilities and programs, these new institutions serve to ?carve out new territory in what a museum can do and be? (Garfield, 1989: 45).  They are no longer simply collecting institutions that then interpret their collections through exhibitions and educational programs.  The nature of outreach and the definition of audience are also changing as museum programs expand.

David Fleming, Director of the National Museums of Liverpool at the International Conference on Museums and Change in late 2005, stated that, ?a massive change in our attitude towards audiences, which might best be described as one of total inclusion, that is of all the public, not just a narrow sector.  It is this change in attitude that has given rise to a new approach to our work, most especially in collecting, exhibiting, promotion, advocacy and partnership, learning and helping effect social change? (Fleming, 2005: n. p.).

Self-preservation through two parallel and unconnected forces is the goal of this fundamental change in museums.  The first force, according to Fleming is the ongoing democratization of our profession.  What was formerly a group dominated by a socio-economic elite and primarily male in character now has opened to individuals from a variety of socio-cultural groups and women.  The second force in action is a new focus on broadening audiences and outreach to a wider membership base.