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• 1 media/p15799coll10_1136_large.jpg 2020-11-13T08:58:14-08:00 Edward Sheriff Curtis, A Blackfoot, 1928 15 A Blackfoot belongs to a collection of photographs shot by Edward S. Curtis, a pioneer in the recording of Native American peoples whose numbers were quickly declining across the United States. plain 2020-12-03T08:29:21-08:00
  A Blackfoot belongs to a collection of photographs shot by Edward S. Curtis, a pioneer in the recording of Native American peoples whose numbers were quickly declining across the United States. This photograph highlights the importance of the hierarchical tribe structure in maintaining order for its people, a convention that slowly dissipates with practices of Native assimilation.
  
  A member of the Blackfoot, a native group indigenous to present-day Montana, sits on a horse adorned with an ornate headpiece made of animal feathers and a garment with dyed fabric. Indicative of high social standing within his community, the subject of the photograph is responsible for providing the staple food source of fish for his people. Those endowed with such a laborious task could use a spear for hunting and a white horse, an animal first introduced through Spanish conquest, for traveling to and from important bodies of water. Curtis depicted the ingenuity and specificity of these valued native artifacts through deluxe photogravure reproductions of his photographs in the eighteenth volume of his compendium, The North American Indian.
  
  The intense concentration of the subject looking intently for a way to capture fish illustrates his dedication and lack of preoccupation with the photographer. During a time of growing focus on advertisements that close the distance between subject and viewer, this Blackfoot man's disengagement allows the photograph to maintain a sense of separation from its interpreters. By preserving the subject’s aura, the photograph seems to represent a rare moment in time that would soon disappear entirely unless captured with a camera.
• 1 media/p15799coll10_1136_large.jpg 2020-11-12T17:26:32-08:00 Edward Sheriff Curtis, A Blackfoot, 1928 6 Funded by J.P Morgan in 1906, Curtis conducted the series of The North American Indian and strove to document as much Native American traditional life as possible before it disappeared. plain 2020-11-25T08:49:49-08:00
  Funded by J.P Morgan in 1906, Curtis conducted the series of The North American Indian and strove to document as much Native American traditional life as possible before it disappeared. In this photogravure, Curtis focused on a tribal member wearing traditional garments, an emblematic representation of religious customs and culture. Holding a spear and riding a horse, he posed for the camera with the awareness of the photographer's presence so that he consciously represented himself with the tribal status attached from his unique culture. Not only does this photograph touch on the themes of tribal mythology and lore with the symbolic traditional tribal garments, but it also highlights the natural environment. There is a contrast between blue and yellow colors constructed by Curtis so that the patterns on the clothes stand out from the whole image and it situated the rich traditions and customs in a context without Westernization. However, with the assimilation of European values into the indigenous nations, North American peoples were confronting a decreasing population and fading native culture in reality. Thousands of Native Americans became victims of the journey West, yet very few generations had memories of such history due to limited documentation. Representing these peoples through distinct individuals engaged with traditional dress, recreation, and conventions, Curtis focused attention on their cultures and heritage. His series put the spotlight on communities many other photographers failed to represent, and the “Indian Problem” transformed from a barrier of Western expansion to a need to revive indigenous history.