The Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, the sole museum on the Oregon Trail telling the story of Western expansionism from a tribal viewpoint, faced significant challenges during the pandemic due to the limitations of their onsite-only CMS. By migrating to cloud-based CatalogIt, the Institute overcame these hurdles, enabling remote access to their staff and enhancing the documentation and preservation of the heritage of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla tribes. Read on to learn how this shift empowered the Institute’s staff to document the collections more efficiently and work toward expanding the accessibility of their historical and cultural collections to a wider audience.
Nestled in the heart of the Umatilla Indian Reservation near Pendleton, Oregon, the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute stands as a beacon of cultural preservation and storytelling. Established in 1998, the Institute is the only museum on the Oregon Trail that tells the story of Western expansionism from a tribal point of view. The Institute is dedicated to honoring the rich heritage of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla tribes, offering visitors a journey spanning over 10,000 years of history along the Oregon Trail.
Like many cultural institutions, Tamástslikt faced significant challenges in managing its substantial collections, exacerbated by the limitations imposed by the pandemic. “We were struggling,” said Randall Melton, Exhibits Coordinator at the Institute. “We had struggled through the pandemic for not having a cloud-based cataloging system.” Their previous CMS, PastPerfect, was limited to onsite use at the Museum. “Most of our staff were working from home, and we had tons of work that they could be doing in the database, but they did not have access unless they were onsite,” said Randall. “That was one of my goals coming out of the pandemic: to get us a cloud-based system.”
Already familiar with CatalogIt, Randall visited the CMS’ booth while at a recent Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM) annual conference. After chatting with CatalogIt’s Co-Founder, Dan Rael, about making the switch, Randall saw the system’s potential to address the Museum’s challenges.
The prospect of remote access, along with cost-effectiveness, were both compelling factors in their team’s decision to ultimately make the switch. “The cost was reasonable, as well as the cloud-based aspect and the ease of migration," said Randall. Initially concerned about the amount of work it would require their team to migrate to a new system, Randall was delighted to learn that CatalogIt would handle the migration process. “That was really good to hear, and minimal work on our end!" he said.
The transition to CatalogIt brought about a transformative change for the Institute. Remote access became a reality, allowing staff to continue their vital documentation work even when offsite. “I appreciate the access to log [into CatalogIt] on any device,” said Randall. The cloud-based nature of their new CMS meant that documentation efforts were no longer confined to the premises of the Institute, empowering staff to collaborate and contribute from anywhere. “I also love the fact that I can download the app on my phone and have access to the collection,” Randall continued, “and can be working on both my laptop and my phone as I’m processing items.”
One of the paramount goals of the Institute is to enable collection access to tribal members, researchers, and students. “There are three different languages spoken here in this reservation,” said Randall, so it was important for the Institute to be able to use all three languages in their CMS. CatalogIt facilitated this objective by importing the names for their collection items in Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla languages, helping to enrich the narrative surrounding each artifact. "If we have folks who are researching [these things], that is part of the information we can provide them,” said Randall. “It is all part of the story that the object can tell, including who made it, out of what materials, and what we call it in our language.”
Looking ahead, the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute has even more plans for leveraging CatalogIt to further its mission. The Institute aims to utilize features such as the CatalogIt HUB to create online exhibitions, offering curated collections of artifacts and photographs to the public.
“We’d love to be able to put together curated shows or collections of objects, whether that be photos, objects, or a combination to help tell the story of the tribes here," said Randall. “The main galleries we have are related to who we are, who we were, and who we will be. Sometimes there are even items that may never get to go on display. To be able to have those available as a curated show online would be great, either on the CatalogIt HUB or on our own website [using the API]," said Randall. This initiative aligns with their goal of expanding the accessibility of their collections and ensuring that the stories of the tribes they represent reach a wider audience.
Additionally, CatalogIt's functionality will be integrated into upcoming projects, such as generating labels for an upcoming art exhibit directly from the platform. By leveraging CatalogIt's capabilities, the Institute is poised to enhance the visitor experience and deepen engagement with their collections.
The transition to CatalogIt marks a significant milestone in the journey of the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute’s collection documentation. By embracing a cloud-based CMS, the Institute has empowered its staff to continue their vital work, whether working at the Museum or anywhere offsite.
“Our main goal is to properly care for and manage a collection that is an asset to the tribe," said Randall. He continues, "It’s our responsibility to maintain these items, and with that comes knowing where they are located, what they look like, their description, their values (if we have that information), and more. The documentation should demonstrate the collection's historical significance. That is the primary goal: Making sure our database is allowing us to do that.” With CatalogIt's robust features, the Institute is well-equipped to manage, preserve, and share the rich cultural heritage of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla tribes for generations to come.