Elle Noller
10/28/14
In class essay
Photography:
Native Americans
There
are people that take their time out of their lives to take the art of
photography. They catch an image that is meaningful and full of beauty or
inspiration. Two very famous photographers, for taking pictures of Native
Americans and their way of living, are Edward Curtis and Matika Wilbur.
With
Edward Curtis’ devotion on his work, it has and continues to effect on the
Indians and non-Indians. His work appeals to the general public and it is cast
makes it not only intelligible. It also is “vastly interesting even to those
uninstructed in the methods of ethology.” (jstor.org) He dealt with the customs
and habits of the Native Americans and by doing so he is able to show a true
picture of the life as a Native American. His pictures are of the young and old
but he also had them sometimes in the picture doing something. Some picture
showed their habitations, ceremonies, industries, games, and their everyday
life style as a Native American. His pictures are said to show a glimpse into
the past generations of the Indian people. Edward Curtis’ images show Native
Americans “so close to the origins of their humanity.” (ewardcurtis.com) These
people are photographed because their way of life is rapidly coming to an end.
All of his photos are known as American treasures. Edward Curtis says, “While
primarily a photographer, I do not see or think photographically; hence the
story of Indian life will not be told in microscopic detail, but rather will be
presented as a broad and luminous picture.” He wanted to help people overcome
the perennial racism that is in our country. Art at his time was used as
propaganda speed of the American government’s attack on the people of the
region. Edward Curtis did a national survey of Native Americans and was based
in Seattle.
In
Seattle Matika Wilbur had her first exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum and
she also did a national survey of Native Americans. Wilbur goes against what
art did during Curtis’ time. She went against the history of art for propaganda
for killing. One of her pieces called Project 562 is an example of art that
shows propaganda of living. Also she is a member of the Tulalip and Swinomish
tribes. Those Native American tribes are of the Puget Sound. She did a three
year campaign Project 562. The number 562 is the number of recognized tribes
when she started. Wilbur’s images show more of the advancement and survival of
the Native Americans than the extinction. When she was taking photos she
visited more than two hundred and twenty tribal lands. Wilbur began in the Northwest
and traveled more than eighty thousand miles around the Western United States.
She wants these photographs to inspire other young Native Americans to expose
their deepest anxieties about being a Native American, like she did. Also she
wants them to open a window to the rest of us. She tried and did expose her
work’s tenacity and richness of the contemporary native life. By doing this she
seeks to encourage a shift in consciousness toward Native Americans. “She
changed the perceptions about Native Americans from 1906.” (upworthy.com)
Matika Wilbur:
Edward Curtis:
Work Cited
Gordon, Review By: G. B. JSTOR. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
xt=edward&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicResults%3FQuery%3Dedward%2Bcurtis%26amp%3Bacc%3Don%26amp%3Bwc%3Don%26amp%3Bfc%3Doff%26amp%3Bsi%3D26&prevSearch=&resultsServiceName=null>.
"Native Americans on Curtis - Edward Curtis Photography, Life & Work."Edward Curtis
Photography, Life & Work. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014
<http://www.edwardcurtis.com/native-americans-on-curtis/>.
"With a Camera, Matika Wilbur Aims to Bring Indian History to the Here and Now." The Seattle
Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
<http://seattletimes.com/html/pacificnw/2024031215_0727matikawilburxml.html>.
"Tacoma Art Museum - Photographic Presence and Contempoarary Indians: Matika Wilbur's
Project 562." Tacoma Art Museum - Photographic Presence and Contempoarary
Indians: Matika Wilbur's Project 562. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014. <http://www.tacomaartmuseum.org/Page.aspx?nid=513>.
"Photographer Matika Wilbur's Three-Year, 562-Tribe Adventure." Indian Country Today Media
Network.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
ree-year-562-tribe-adventure-146982>.
"It's Been Over 100 Years Since An Artist Has Done This In America. About Time Someone Did
It Again." Upworthy. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
about-time-someone-did-it-again>.
No comments:
Post a Comment