Mask Makers Web

Photos of masks, costumes, ceremonies, sacred dances. Among the tribes portayed are Hopi, Zuni, Tewa. The North American Indian by Edward S. Curtis is one of the most significant and controversial representations of traditional American Indian culture ever produced. Issued in a limited edition from 1907-1930, the publication continues to exert a major influence on the image of Indians in popular culture. Curtis said he wanted to document "the old time Indian, his dress, his ceremonies, his life and manners." In over 2000 photogravure plates and narrative, Curtis portrayed the traditional customs and lifeways of eighty Indian tribes. Sensitive Images and Text This online collection contains all of the images and caption text as originally published in The North American Indian. The captions reflect a perspective that Indians were "primitive" people whose traditional cultures and ways of life were disappearing. In his representation of Indians as the "vanishing race," Curtis echoes the prevailing view held by Euro-Americans in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Contemporary readers should interpret the captions in that context. Some captions and images portray ceremonial rituals and objects that were not intended for viewing by the uninitiated. No images have been excluded or specially labeled. They are included in this digital collection in order to represent the work fully

Category: Mask tradition / Cermonies

Added on: Jun 20, 2002 | Hits: 9283