A Celebration of American Native Culture


  • Photographer
    Heidi Laughton
  • Prize
    Honorable Mention
  • Company/Studios
    Heidi Laughton Photography
  • Date of Photograph
    2013
  • Technical Info
    All images shot on film

These images are taken from a series of portraits presenting a diverse spectrum of Native cultural practices in the US today. The project highlights significant Native peoples, modern lifestyles, traditional influences and remarkable stories which celebrate distinct aspects of American Indian communities. The photo series showcases a variety of successful Native peoples and lifestyles, some are more traditional and other images in the series are more contemporary. The series so far includes Apache, Comanche, Iowa, Hopi, Zuni, Acoma, Navajo, Paiute, Chumash and Tongva peoples. All the images have been taken on location with medium and large format film cameras

Story

“Modern Traditionalists: A Celebration of Contemporary American Native Culture”

This series of portraits aims to present a diverse spectrum of Native cultural practices in the US today. The project highlights significant Native peoples, modern lifestyles, traditional influences and remarkable stories which celebrate distinct aspects of American Indian communities. Each participant photographed has a story to tell. Beside each portrait in the physical exhibit, will be a text panel further describing anecdotes and educational information relating to personal history of the sitter. Although the small selection of images chosen here depict more traditional regalia, the full exhibit includes an even mix of contemporary and traditional

All the images have been taken on film, both medium-format and large format, and all images have been professionally lit on location. The aim for the exhibition is to feature high-end images with accompanying text panels in galleries and museums, and also a mobile canvas version will be available for pop-ups for schools and cultural centers.

I hope the photo series showcases a diverse collection of interesting and successful Native peoples. These include Apache, Comanche, Iowa, Hopi, Zuni, Acoma, Navajo, Paiute, Chumash and Tongva peoples and I hope to include more going forward. Examples of contemporary portraits include an Apache skateboard crew, a Navajo advisor to the UN, a comanche artist, a Hopi Kachina artist, a young Navajo Stanford graduate who set up Navajo Word of the Day website, an actor, and a volunteer for women in sobriety. Examples of traditional portraits include Zuni pueblo dancers, Apache crown dancers, a traditional hopi girl with squash blossom hair, bear medicine ceremony, peyote ceremony, coming-of-age and naming ceremonies, tomol paddlers and a story-teller

The images have been shot in California, Arizona and New Mexico so far. Along the way, museum curators and tribal elders have been guiding and advising the project so the resultant show will create a dignified perception to promote pride amongst youth, especially in the light of the many issues faced by Native peoples and reservation communities. The feedback I have been getting from within the community has been very encouraging as people believe the project shows a positive and inspirational aspect of Native culture, that is not often represented.

By researching and embedding myself within these communities, the ongoing series has led me on my own invaluable journey. It’s hoped the personal stories and anecdotes from each of the participants will help viewers associate with the information they are learning. I hope to include Native music, crafts, dancers and public speakers in the resultant exhibition, so the show becomes a complete cultural experience to be taken around the world.

Daniel Ramos, Navajo spiritual healer, wrote to me “It is that time in the world, these things must. Time must be made for the work you are doing”. This project will be a true celebration of a vibrant, rich culture, from which many relevant environmental, spiritual, social and artistic wisdoms can be drawn

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