Since the advent of creating images with a camera and light-sensitive film, humans have had the predilection to document the beauty around them. At the turn of the 20th Century, photographers like Edward S. Curtis, Peter Britt, and Benjamin Gifford were turning their lenses to our indigenous peoples, leaving a lasting reminder of the rich cultures that should never be forgotten. Oregon was the ancestral home of the Siletz, Atfalati, Cayuse, Paiute, Kalapuya, Umatilla, Klamath, Coquille, Tekelma, Chinook, Nez Percé, Wishram, and so many other nations that have left their indelible mark on us; the interlopers in their world. The following are just a handful of images that captured and captivated my eye.
“We have been here since time began. We have been here since the first human got here.” --Don Ivy, Coquille Indian Tribe
1. A Tekelma Woman Displays Her Handcrafted Regalia, 1900
2. Trinidad Siletz Peoples in Gold Beach, Oregon
3. A Klamath Man in the Ponderosa Forest, 1923
4. Newport, Oregon, 1900
5. Chief Joseph With His Family, 1880
6. Nez Percé Man, 1905
7. A Klamath Woman Prepares Food, 1923
8. Young Wishram Woman, 1910
9. A Wasco Man With His Canoe at the Columbia River, 1897
10. Chinook People Seining
11. Cayuse Twin Babies in Cradleboards, 1898
12. Chinook Woman on the Beach, 1910
13. A Klikitat Woman With Woven Basket
14. Woman and Child of the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde