Mysuru: Tribal museums must go beyond displaying artefacts and focus on authentic storytelling, community participation and preserving the context behind cultural heritage, experts said at the National Conclave on Tribal Languages and Museums held in Mysuru.
The sessions on Tribal Museums and Tribal Freedom Fighter Museums (TFFMs) brought together experts, government officials and community representatives to discuss ways to preserve tribal history, identity and traditions using contemporary museum practices.
T. Roumuan Paite, Joint Secretary, TFFM, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, said museums serve as repositories of history and should preserve not just documents, photographs and objects, but also the stories and meanings associated with them.
Ministry director Deepali Masirkar highlighted the importance of presenting tribal heritage in engaging ways and referred to the Tribal Museum in Bhopal as an example of combining physical exhibits with digital elements.
Experts discussed museum planning, storyline development, immersive displays, multimedia, AR/VR and QR-based storytelling. The role of communities in museum-making was also highlighted.
Masirkar suggested measures such as light shows, guest houses, weekend programmes and tribal-cuisine cafes to improve visitor engagement and generate revenue.
Participants stressed that museums should remain “story-led rather than technology-led”, with stronger coordination among communities, historians, designers and implementing agencies.
