Edward Curtis

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Edward Curtis The Pomo Indians

• "The information that is to be gathered ...
  respecting the mode of life of one of the great
  races of mankind, must be collected at once or
  the opportunity will be lost." Edward S. Curtis
  in the introduction to The North American Indian,
  Vol. I, 1907

By Katie Lockwood
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Edward Curtis

• His work became most famous after he died
• One volume of The North American Indian sells
  for thousands of dollars
• He spent many years just gaining the trust of the
  Indians and later he was rewarded by being able
  to get so many opportunities for photographs and
  interaction that other people couldnt get
• Without him a large amount of Indian culture
  would be lost and even harder to salvage today
• His field notes provided good ethnology for both
  anthropologists and the general public

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Creating an ethnographic environment
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Uniqueness of Curtis Photography

• Golden tone prints named Curt tones
• Spent time and money on materials not expecting a
  profit
• Wanted his photos to have a life like quality
• Did all of this as an effort to preserve Indian
  culture

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The Pomo Tribe

• One of the best known tribes in California
• At the time of publication of The North American
  Indian there were 1,200 living Pomo
• This included 30 villages that were culturally
  diverse and in various culture areas
• Pomo women best known for their success in art
  and basket making

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Pomo Living

• Men usually were naked or wore limited clothing
• Women wore short kilts, and simple clothing
• Necklaces were made of magnesite and clam shell
  beads and were worth approximately 20
• Moved locations in the summer to stay cool
• Most dependable food was nuts (acorns
  specifically)
• Very few disagreements between tribes
• Families were lead by one chief and followed a
  patriarchal form
• Men had the duty to maintain general welfare
  without power

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Example of Curtis Photography
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Pomo Beliefs and Practices

• The Pomo had two ceremonial rituals including the
  Ghost Dance, during which the dead were
  recognized and the Far South, which was a rite
  of passage for children of the tribe.
• The majority of Pomo myths involved the
  adventures of Coyote and his friend Lizard

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Salvage Ethnology

• Curtis wanted a first hand account of Indian
  lifestyle
• When members of the tribes die, they take their
  culture with them
• Today Curtis field notes and photographs capture
  elements of culture that may not have ever been
  known
• Although Curtis was not considered and
  anthropologist in his time, his works show
  significant value for many people today,
  including anthropologists

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Effect on mainstream American Culture

• Increased cultural curiosity about the Native
  American people
• Reactions of both enjoyment and disgust
• Preserve culture? Romanticize? Beauty? Truth?
• Assumption Native American life was doomed and
  vanishing
• Some said his work was stereotypical

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Quotes

• I have the ability, strength, and determination
  to finish . . . but have gone to the end of my
  means and must ask someone to join me in the
  undertaking and make it possible for all ages of
  Americans to see what the American Indian was
  like." Edward S. Curtis in a letter to J.P.
  Morgan, January 23, 1906
• "The passing of every old man or woman means the
  passing of some tradition, some knowledge of
  sacred rites possessed by no other." Edward S.
  Curtis, The North American Indian, Vol. I, 1907

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Bibliography

• Baxter, William. Frontier Photographer Edward
  Curtis Smithsonian Institution Libraries.
  http//www.sil.si.edu/Exhibitions/Curtis/index.htm
  
• Friedman, Kerim. Vanishing Race and the
  Ethnographic
• Present 9-17-2005 http//savageminds.org/2005/0
  9/17/vanishing-race-and- the-ethnographic-present/
  
• Northwestern University Library, Edward S.
• Curtis's "The North American Indian," 2003.
  http//digital.library.northwester n.edu/curtis/
• Ponce, Pedro. The Imperfect Eye of Edward
  Curtis Humanities, May/June 2000, Volume
  21/Number 3