Edward Sheriff Curtis, Qunhulahl—Qagyuhl, 1915
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Edward Sheriff Curtis felt the need to document the native peoples of North America before their cultures “vanished.”
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2020-11-21T18:23:45-08:00
Edward Sheriff Curtis felt the need to document the native peoples of North America before their cultures “vanished.” This image is in one of his collections, supposedly documenting native customs, and most importantly, the photograph conveys great visual power and meaning that transcends time and space.
We can imagine that contemporary viewers may have seen a superhero-like presence depicted in this photograph. A figure is standing in the center of the image, extending its arms, so the costume with its hanging feathers and bird mask is fully presented to the camera. This potent pose, paralleled by the shadow of feathers on the wall, delivers a rather heroic message to viewers. The powerful creature in the photograph is ready to fly out of the frame and save the world.
As a matter of fact, the central figure is wearing a costume of Thunderbird, a supernatural being embodied with the power and strength to protect believers from an evil spirit. In most mythologies, Thunderbird is deemed to be large in size and to have supernatural powers over natural elements, such as rain, storm, and lighting. The Thunderbird would flap its wings to create sounds of thunder while generating lighting from its eyes. The lighting of this photograph reflects this mythology.
While the shadow of Thunderbird’s feathers gives the image a sense of otherworldliness, a sloping window-like shadow in the background creates an imaginary space beyond room captured by the camera’s lens. The lighting allows viewers to imagine that the “Thunderbird” they see to transcend time and space, capable of saving them from an evil power—just like any superhero today.
