School Library Journal Review

Gr 9 Up-This full length documentary provides a thorough overview of the life and career of Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952), the pioneer photographer responsible for the remarkable 20-volume History of the North American Indian. Leaving a successful career as a society photographer in Seattle, Curtis dedicated himself to a 30-year ethnographic study of the vanishing cultures of Native Americans. After attending a Piegan Sundance ritual in 1900, he became convinced of the importance of preserving native cultures. Traveling throughout the west and Alaska, Curtis accumulated 40,000 photographs, 10,000 sound recordings, and produced a full-length motion picture, In the Land of the Head Hunters. Encouraged by Theodore Roosevelt and partially funded by J. P. Morgan, Curtis' work stands today as a monumental accomplishment, and his portraits remain powerful and fascinating. He died in poverty and obscurity. Interest in his work was revived by the 1977 discovery of photographic plates in the basement of a Boston bookstore. Professional anthropologists, biographers, and contemporary Native Americans, who have drawn on the photographs to revive traditional rituals and customs, provide critical reviews of Curtis' work. The "staging" of some portraits, including the secret Ya-Ba-Chi ritual of the Navaho, is discussed, although Curtis is praised for attempting to understand Native American cultures through participation. Descendants of some of Curtis' subjects provide additional commentary. The film is narrated, with Bill Pullman providing the voice of Curtis in readings from letters. Documentary footage shows efforts to both eradicate and revive Native American culture. This film was awarded a Sundance Film Festival Gold Award, among many others, and would be best suited for photography, anthropology, and American history studies.-Melba Tomeo, Slippery Rock University, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.