Monacan Powwow

This has been a long time coming. I finally have a refurbished website. And with the new galleries I can show off some of the stuff I've been working on over the past year. I haven't had the opportunity to share many of it until now.

Please check it out: http://www.johnboalphotography.com

Much of it has been shown in various posts regarding athletes of the year, fairs...etc. On the other hand, one of my favorite "assignments" I did this year was back in May. I went down to the Monacan Nation Powwow, near Lynchburg, VA. I have a little Native American heritage (Nez Perce´) in my blood, and it's always something that interested me. I read about Chief Joseph, and ever since I saw my first Ed Curtis prints, I've been fascinated by the idea of documenting indigenous people, and learning more about who they are.

Kenneth Branham, Chief, Monacan Nation

Robert Narcomey, Navajo/Seminole descent

I think it's important to distinguish what I mean by saying "Who they are." When I thought about taking pictures at the Powwow, I wanted to do it in the same tradition of Ed Curtis (despite the controversy over some of his images), William Pennington, or even George Catlin (who created hundreds, if not thousands of paintings during his travels in the 19th century). So I hoped I might document, in my own way, the ceremonial dress of a Native American during a powwow. This was all done with the idea that I'd learn more about Native America. Perhaps even record some audio of native languages. So I resolved to set up a shade tent, and simply ask for people to sit for a moment and have their portrait taken.

I hadn't anticipated a few things, however. First, I was a little unsure of the response. While I had made contact with a member of the Monacan Nation, securing permission beforehand, I wasn't sure how enthusiastic anyone would be. I certainly didn't want it to appear that I was there to exploit them. I really did have my mind on using that day as a first step toward documenting the Virginia Native American. The response was tremendous. And if not for the help of my wife, I'd have drowned in all the people that surrounded the tent, hoping to get their picture taken.

Like many, I had an image in my head of what a Native American looks like. Tan, black hair, dark eyes. You know. Indian.

Mel Glover, Cherokee, Eastern Band

Danny Hawk, Lakota Nation.

But what I found when I visited the powwow is that not all Native Americans are alike. Duh. There were a few men and women who looked the part, so to speak, but many had southern accents, blue or green eyes. Blonde hair. I don't know many people, if any, have ever asked me "how white are you?". But for many who are descendent of North American Tribes, the idea of Indianness has been tantamount to the survival of hundreds of tribes and reservations around the country. The concept and practice of determining "Indianness" is related to the continued decimation and suppression of Native American culture and heritage. But rather than go off on a tangent (at least for today), I wanted to address the idea of identity.

Ronnie Durie, of Lynchburg, VA, affiliated with Monacan Nation, descendant of Appomatock, wearing a mix between Northern and Southern Traditional Styles honoring his father's service in the U.S. Army Air Corps, Durie is brother in-law of Monacan Chief, Kenneth Branham

Quinton Talbott, Monacan Nation, wearing Northern Traditional Regalia, with an eagle feather headdress

Identity. Who are you? Who do you represent? To whom or what do you belong? How do we see ourselves, and how does that perception affect the way we see ourselves? These questions affect the Native American in a peculiar way. As I said, many of the people I met didn't appear very "Indian" in the traditional sense. Being in southwestern Virginia, most of those I met were Monacan (obviously), Cherokee, and a smattering of a variety of other tribes descended from Virginia and the eastern woodlands. Naturally then, they aren't going to look like the Lakota, Navajo, or Apache, perhaps the most “Indian-looking” tribes of all.

The reasons are two-fold, as it was explained to me. First, they are woodland Indians. They aren't tribes that roamed the plains and the high deserts. They lived in very temperate climates with lots of shade. I'm not sure how valid this reasoning is, since descriptions of the Powhatan Tribe in the 17th Century, by William Strachey, as “…generally of a cullour brown or rather tawny…”

Buck Tyree, Monacan Nation, wearing Northern Traditional regalia

Secondly, and I believe this to be the best explanation, they first met the European settlers over 400 years ago. Native Tribes were always known to take in outsiders, and in fact, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that European settlers intermarried with Native Americans soon after meeting them. So combine intermarriage with the eradication of 99 percent of the population and it isn't too hard to see why the modern Native American descendent in the East doesn't look so different.

Maverick Wallace, 13, Muscogee Creek, wearing Men's Northern Traditional Regalia

It was a bit disappointing that I didn't meet anyone who could speak in their native languages. I did meet on person who promised that if I came back next year, she'd have something prepared for me, which is encouraging. It's sad to think that the native languages of this continent are disappearing so fast. I hope I'm able to record some native Siouan language (language of Monacan Nation, along with other nations) next year.

So these are my first portraits of people belonging to (or descended of) various Native American Tribes. Hopefully there's more to document in the future.

Carlos Martin, "Lone Wolf". Cherokee, Eastern Band