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Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America
by Matika Wilbur
I've never read a photography book before and this was so much more reading than I expected. I knew it was 400 pages, but I only expected like one or two paragraphs per page and also did not expect that the book would be textbook sized. I'm not mad about it- I enjoyed the book very much, it was incredibly informing and moving, but if you, like me, have also never read a photography book before, be warned that it is still a big investment to read.
Like I said though, I learned very much from this book. Most of it does not go very in depth, but it paints an expansive picture of the issues facing Native Americans today, the ways they are still affected by historical injustices, and some of the injustices continuing today. It's horrifying reading about how communities that have lived by- not just lived near, but lived by, in communion and symbiosis with- a lake for millennia had the water stolen from them and pumped to LA, so now everyone still living in the area is getting pulmonary diseases from breathing in the dust of the dry lake. How the Unangax̂ were interned during WWII just like Asian Americans. The horrific and brutal backlash from law enforcement when people try to not just regain the rights they have been stripped of, but even just exercise the treaty rights they still are supposed to have.
But this book isn't just tragedy. It's full of so much triumph and pride. People following their passions. People succeeding in restoring their languages. People rediscovering their culture. People organizing community for ceremony, traditional practices, and for games. People winning in court to affirm their rights. People persevering and continuing, finding joy in what they have and fighting for what more they need.
My only complaint is that I wish some things were written about in more depth or provided with more clarity. At one point, the bio for a man mentions how he fought against voter discrimination and helped end the practice of double voting, but there is no explanation for what double voting was, and maybe I'm just googling wrong, but I can't find any explanation. Also, given that the scope of the project was centered around federal recognition, I would have appreciated more discussion of the process and problems surrounding federal recognition. However, I understand that the focus of this project was moreso on the individuals depicted rather than an explainer for Indigenous issues.
This is ultimately a very small piece of the vibrant and ongoing picture that is Native America, but it is a beautiful one. Absolutely recommend reading. 5⭐️
Like I said though, I learned very much from this book. Most of it does not go very in depth, but it paints an expansive picture of the issues facing Native Americans today, the ways they are still affected by historical injustices, and some of the injustices continuing today. It's horrifying reading about how communities that have lived by- not just lived near, but lived by, in communion and symbiosis with- a lake for millennia had the water stolen from them and pumped to LA, so now everyone still living in the area is getting pulmonary diseases from breathing in the dust of the dry lake. How the Unangax̂ were interned during WWII just like Asian Americans. The horrific and brutal backlash from law enforcement when people try to not just regain the rights they have been stripped of, but even just exercise the treaty rights they still are supposed to have.
But this book isn't just tragedy. It's full of so much triumph and pride. People following their passions. People succeeding in restoring their languages. People rediscovering their culture. People organizing community for ceremony, traditional practices, and for games. People winning in court to affirm their rights. People persevering and continuing, finding joy in what they have and fighting for what more they need.
My only complaint is that I wish some things were written about in more depth or provided with more clarity. At one point, the bio for a man mentions how he fought against voter discrimination and helped end the practice of double voting, but there is no explanation for what double voting was, and maybe I'm just googling wrong, but I can't find any explanation. Also, given that the scope of the project was centered around federal recognition, I would have appreciated more discussion of the process and problems surrounding federal recognition. However, I understand that the focus of this project was moreso on the individuals depicted rather than an explainer for Indigenous issues.
This is ultimately a very small piece of the vibrant and ongoing picture that is Native America, but it is a beautiful one. Absolutely recommend reading. 5⭐️