SOME THOUGHTS ON "TAKING" PICTURES IMAGING "INDIANS" AND THE COUNTER-NARRATIVES OF VISUAL SOVEREIGNTY

Authors

Morgan F. Bell, University of Washington

Date of this Version

Spring 2011

Document Type

Article

Citation

Great Plains Quarterly 31:2 (Spring 2011).

Comments

Copyright © 2011 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska.

Abstract

Soon after its inception the camera became the primary vehicle for producing images of Native Americans. Without question, late nineteenth and early twentieth-century images of Native Americans have been integral in forming the stereotypical ideal of "Indian." For many imaginations, these images have frozen North America's indigenous people, not only in a timeless past but, in essence, outside time. This essay examines photographic images that illustrate this phenomenon and some that dismantle it. The fact that indigenous people picked up the camera long ago to commission and produce their own images, although long overlooked, is a topic that has received much attention over the last few decades and is now widely acknowledged. This is due in large part to the efforts of Native and non-Native scholars and artists who have tirelessly critiqued the colonialist eye and deconstructed the persistent stereotypes of "Indianness": from "noble" to "bloodthirsty," "princess" and "maiden," and on to the "vanishing race." Photographic works by contemporary Native artists and the discourse of their critics have brought us far from these misconceptions with the creation of their own complex and fragmented counter narratives. Recurring prevalent themes grapple with issues related to indigenous identity, sovereignty, methodology, political perspectives, and reciprocity. Additionally, to fully understand many works by contemporary Native artists it is important to acknowledge that historic images still operate as reactionary catalysts because they are more pervasive in today's visually dominated culture than they were during their period of origination. Today, due to ongoing technological advancements, the potential for more rapid visual communication of information about people, places and events continues to increase.