Famous Photographers - Nedahness Rose Greene
Famous Photographers - Nedahness Rose Greene
When I saw the article by Kavika about Nedahness Rose Greene, I was quite impressed by her portrait photography, and suggested to Kavika that we do one of our Famous Photographer collaborations to produce a photo-essay that contained Greene's photos along with Kavika's providing a note about the artistic traditions of the Anishinaabe tribe, and provide bilingual titles for the photos, and he agreed to the project. Greene and Kavika are both members of the Anishinaabe a/k/a Ojibwe tribe, so they share considerable knowledge of its customs and traditions. Although the vast majority of her photos are portraits, one of the first Famous Photographer articles posted on NT was about Yousuf Karsh, who was one of the greatest portrait photographers of all time. We hope this one will be as pleasing and educational as our previous collaborations. Kavika and I worked together to collect the photos and collaborated on the contents of this article. Kavika's comments and bilingual titles are coloured GREEN.
Mary Annette Pember - summarized from Indian Country Today
BEMIDJI, Minnesota — For some people, a talent or ability seems to be baked into their DNA; we call them natural-born. Nedahness Rose Greene, citizen of the Leech Band of Ojibwe, is such a one, a natural-born photographer or shooter.
Greene wasn't aware of her talent, however, until about five years ago.
A single mother, she was living in North Dakota, watching her now-seven-year-old twins as well as her sister's children. Beyond caring for the children, she had little to divert her interests. One day, she picked up her sister's iPad and began taking photos of the children and the world around her. Casually, she posted some of the images online.
"Everybody asked, "Hey, who's your photographer?'" Greene said.
Greene got excited. She began shooting more portraits, and was overwhelmed by the encouragement she received online. Her family bought her an inexpensive digital camera, and her interest grew.
Now, five years later, Greene not only shoots portraits but has covered water protector actions along Enbridge Line 3 in Minnesota for the Indigenous Environmental Network, George Floyd protests, Black Lives Matter marches and events calling attention to Missing and Murdered Indigenous women.
Her work has appeared in the Washington Post and other publications. She shoots fashion for Indigenous designers such as Sarah Agaton Howes of Heart Berry and Delina White of IamAnishinaabe.
In January, her photos were featured in an exhibit, "Mashkawiziigag," ("They are Strong,"), at the Watermark Art Center in Bemidji, including portraits, her MMIW work, water protectors and Black Lives Matter rallies.
The photos are currently on display at the Northwest Indian Community Development Center in Bemidji, and she can barely keep up with customer requests for her services.
"I'm not somebody who likes to talk in front of people but I have a lot of personal thoughts and ideas about issues," she said. "I'd rather use my photography to convey my message."
Social justice issues such as missing and murdered Indigenous women hold special, emotional meaning for the 41-year-old Greene.
She created a series of portraits and images for her "healing circle shoot," in which she put out a call on social media asking women to participate in the project. Greene set up shoots at various locations throughout Minnesota at places where women tend to go missing, such as railroad tracks, rivers and parks. At least 50 women showed up.
"I would say 90 percent of the women were either victims of assault or activists," she said.
Greene's images are bold and graphic. Free of excess visual information, her work strikes at the heart with unwavering accuracy.
Shortly after she received the digital camera from her family, she joined a local photography club in northeast Minneapolis. Comprised mostly of older Black men, club members were impressed by her eagerness to learn.
"I think they were surprised I wanted to come hang out with a bunch of old guys at a photo studio," Greene said.
Soon the men took her under wing, encouraging her to join them on photo shoots and advising her on the technical aspects of photography. Before long, club members pitched in and bought her some equipment, and one of the photographers gifted her his old camera.
"It was old, but it was new to me, a real professional's camera; I started taking photography more seriously," she said.
For inspiration she often thinks of the teachings her father shared.
In the Ojibwe culture, storytelling is an ancient and important art. As part of this storytelling, there are many authors, painters, photographers, dancers, playwrights, and all other forms of what today is called ''The Arts''. Those Oijbwe who create in these professions are called, ''aadizookewinini'' (storytellers) carrying on a tradition that is thousands of years old.
The latest to join the list is Rose Greene, Leech Lake, MN. Ojibwe.
1. Ojibwekwe biidwewidam (Ojibwe woman comes speaking)
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2. Zoongide' eshkage (solace)
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3. Gagwejii (strength)
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4. Ogichidaa (Guardian)
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5. Anishinaabe (The People)
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6. Nookomis (Grandmother)
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7. Gashid'ewizi (have power)
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8. Baaga' akokwe (drum beater)
Guadalupe Lopez in Minneapolis. Guadalupe is Indigenous (White Earth Ojibwe) and Chicana. She is a hand drummer and an advocate for Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition.
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9. Nigigoonsikwe (Little Otter Woman) on Leech Lake Reservation. Nigig walks Highway 2 with others in honor of MMIW who go missing on this multi-state highway. Participants carry a staff that moves from person to person until the walk ends and a saging ceremony begins. February 2021 was the fourth year of the walk.
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10. Minawaanigozi (exhilarate, happy)
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11. Inoodewiziwin (family)
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12. There is hope for our future generations with women in government, like North Dakota State Representative Ruth Anna Buffalo (Three Affiliated Tribes), who introduced and paved a way for legislation to address missing and murdered people in her state.
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13. Metis (mixed blood)
L to R: Vera Allen, Jada Lynn Aljubalah, and Trina Fasthorse in Minneapolis This photo shoot included multiracial Indigenous sisters in solidarity, partly in honor of Trina Fasthorse’s grandmother (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe), Phyllis (Joanne) Sam, who was murdered. Vera Allen (Navajo Eastern Agency) wears a t-shirt she designed based on her identity. It reads “Part Stolen/ Part Robbed, All American Survivor.” “Stolen” refers to her African American descent. “Robbed” refers to the taking of Indigenous lands.
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14. Niizh-manidou (two-spirit)
Max (Long Lac Nation and Red Cliff Nation) is two-spirit. We made this image to honor the two-spirit people who are often forgotten about, and to recognize how important it is that they are safe. Two-spirit people deserve justice and attention in the MMIR movement.
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15. One of Anishinaabe photographer Nedahness Rose Greene's many images drawing attention to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives.
16. MMIR (Missing Murdered Indigenous Relatives)
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17. Niizh-manidou (two-spirit)
Arnold J Dahl-Wooley at Leech Lake Nation: “I am a Leech Lake Band member, and I own a business on the Leech Lake Reservation. My marriage was the first same-sex marriage to be sanctioned by the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. I am a public speaker on LGBTQ+ (two-spirit) cultural history, suicide prevention, and anti-bullying. I want people to understand that two-spirit identity is sacred.”
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18. Ojibwe omaamaamaa (Ojibwe mother)
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19. Gwayakochige (Make it right)
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20. Ojibwekwe (Ojibwe women)
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21 Mikwendaagozi (Be r emembered)
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22. Gichi-ashodamaagewining dibinawewizi (respect the treaty rights)
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23. Bazigwii (stand up)
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24. Billboard Mural that was photographed by Nedahness Rose Greene
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25. Mashkiwede'e (strong heart)
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26. Maawanji'idiwag (Come together)
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27. Ishpiming agoojin (star in the sky)
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28. Onwaachige (foretell the future)
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29. Biikoojigan (mask on)
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30. Gaashkwesin (bouyant)
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31. Ancient Hands (Akwenzii oninj)
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RED RULE: Comments that are not about the artistic traditions of the Anishinaabe/Ojibwe tribe, the artistry of the photographs and/or about the photographer are off topic and will be deleted.
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Posted by Kavika and myself for your viewing, which we hope you will enjoy and appreciate.
Thank you both for that.. brilliant photographer and brilliant photos..
I forgot to post this photo. Kavika has now posted a title for it.
Aabamii (resist)
love the photos
Chi-miigwetch (many thanks)
Amazing photos. She really captures the beauty of the Ojibwe!. I wish some of these were up on her website. I would like to purchase a few.
Go to her facebook page and check it out.
She is a fantastic photographer. Really amazing.
Chi-miigwetch
truly awesome.
Truly. VERY impressive.
Beautiful!
We need more such articles!
I certainly agree with that, Mac.
Ditto!
Truly beautiful photos. They capture the true essence and meaning of what the photos are trying to convey. In letting her photos speak for her, Nedahness Rose Greene puts her heart out for all to see, and hear.
She is indeed an amazing photographer. Thank you for sharing this awesome photo essay with us.
Happy that you enjoyed it, Raven,
She really is becoming a big deal up here. Love her work. Hopefully some day I'll be able to pick up a print.
What is your favorite photo in this essay, EG?
Uffda! There are so many good photos here. I'd have to say my fav here is Gagwejii though.
Uffda, is a separate dialect of the Ojibwe language...
What is your favorite photo in this essay?
Picking just one -
That is a striking photo, JR.
Just woke up this morning to see and be quite impressed with the response that this article has received. Also happy that Kavika was there all day to accept the thanks and thank everyone for their comments. I second that emotion with respect to all of you. On the subject of picking a favourite photo from the bunch, the one that caught my eye when I first saw it, and is the one I could look at all day and enjoy, is Zoongide' eshkage (solace), the second photo. Her lovely face says to me pride and satisfaction, and how can anyone take their eyes off her child's eyes?
For everyone who has or will be commenting on the article, let us know which of the photos is your favorite
My favorite is that last one. I love black and white photography and have shot hundreds of rolls of Tri-X film. If y'all want to see some more really great B&W photos of early 1900's Native Americans, go check out Edward S. Curtis. There are a ton of his photos at the Smithsonian website.
Ancient Hands, a telling photo.
If you enjoy black and white photos, Dulay check out Roland Reeds photos. I prefer his to Curtis.
If you've shot hundreds of rolls of Tri-X film (a high speed Kodak 35mm film that I used on occasion as well, and developed it and enlarged the photos myself in my darkroom) why have we not seen any of your photos on the Creative Arts Weekend article?
Well first of all, a lot of it was shot professionally in the 70's. It's owned by my employer or their client. I also developed, enlarged and printed B&W and color from 35 mm to 8x10 [like Ansel Adams used] professionally. I worked in a 3 story high studio that you could drive a bus in and I ran the 24x16 dark room with tanks that could run 100s of 8x10s at a time. Which was good because every time I had to develop, I had to load all of the film into the tanks in total dark. I also did 4 color film separation for print. The largest camera I ever ran was 35' long that shot up to 24x36 film. Kinda like this:
Second of all, NONE of it has been digitalized. I suppose some of my old stuff could have been scanned from print and is in someone's archive or in an old magazine.
My darkroom work was pretty well all B&W - colour was too complicated and I also used kodachrome besides kodacolour so I sent those out for processing and printing. I have posted a number of my film photos on the Creative Arts group, prints that I scanned and uploaded to my computer's picture library.
I had a small but very professional darkroom, used a Leitz Focomat enlarger, a drum dryer, had a 5 ft. wide shallow sink in which the processing trays were placed. A great story about how easy it was to sell the first house I ever owned because of that darkroom. It was on the edge of downtown Toronto, walking distance to Toronto's famous Bloor Street, and Yorkville, etc. but my (now ex-) wife and I had a little baby girl and it was not a family neighbourhood so we wanted to move to where there were lots of kids and good schools. The house across the street had an "open house" so, being a lawyer who had a fairly substantial real estate practice, I prepared copies of an Agreement of Purchase and Sale with everything in it we wanted, such as the price, leaving open only the spaces for the name(s) of the purchaser(s) and date of closing the deal. A young woman walked over from the other house and said can I see the basement first? I thought that was kind of curious, but said "Of course, but why the basement first?" She replied "My husband is a professional photographer and I have to make sure there's room for a darkroom." Amazingly I didn't burst out laughing, and said "Okay" and led her downstairs, took her into the laundry room, opened the door to the darkroom and turned on the light.....and I swear her jaw dropped to the ground. She said "Please, please don't sell to anyone else, I'm calling my husband to come here immediately.". He came, saw the darkroom, they toured the rest of the house and then sat down and signed the Agreement with absolutely no negotiation. We had a bottle of champagne in the fridge so we opened it and the four of us celebrated the event.
What I forgot to say was that after I prepared the agreement we put up an hand-made OPEN HOUSE sign in front of our house. Our house was the most attractive one on the whole street, the only one that was set back, so it had to be enticing.
Yes, colour IS complicated and unforgiving. There were days when I felt like a mole...so many hours in total dark. I would put a sign on the door that said 'Go AWAY' on the darkroom when I was processing so my co-workers wouldn't bother me. The other photographers especially wanted to see the processed negatives ASAP.
One year they used our studio to do the cover of Playboy with Farah Fawcett. It was a private shoot in one to the smaller studios, only the small crew even saw her. When I came out of the darkroom, half of the studio was waiting in my production room to see the negatives.
Though the favorite shoot for everyone was when we did the Bresler's Ice Cream catalogue. We got to eat all manner of ice cream creations for days...
Most real estate agents would tell you that the dark room is an albatross, too 'specialized'. The key is getting a buyer to see themselves in the house. It sounds like they saw themselves in yours right away.
I'm jealous about your Bresler's work. I LOVE ice cream on a hot day, and my wife hardly ever buys it for me when she goes grocery shopping because she says the sugar isn't good for my heart. Right now, in 7 to 15 degrees centigrade, the coldest it gets here, I don't miss it.
Well, contrary to real estate agents' advice, my darkroom sold my house, and a lot faster and less expensive that a real estate agent would have done.
Wow, niijii, they are all so stunning and truly excellent that it is impossible to pick a favorite. The subject matter depicted is very meaningful. The artistic quality of the photography is absolutely first class. I love the message conveyed in 22 - Respect the Treaty Rights, but honestly, I cannot say that I love any of the others any less. This is a very great article. Thanks to you and Buzz for posting it for us.
Okay, GG, being known on NT as a movie maven, let me ask you what movie does the number 22 make you think of?
(JohnRussell, Nowhere Man, Perrie and Snuffy, let GG guess.)
Thank you, G, number 22 is quite interesting. The Ojibwe that you see on the motorcycles are known as the ''Crazy Indian Brotherhood'' they are in Canada, WN, CA and now in ND and MN.
They are protectors of Indian women who are subject to attack. It stems back to 1968 when American Indian Movement was formed in Minneapolis MN because of harassment and beating and sexual abuse of native women and men. They were the protectors and are still active today.
Catch-22
That is interesting information.
Good guess. I was thinking of Casablanca:
‘Casablanca,’ film students and the number 22 | | …
My favorite is #9, Nigigoonsikwe (Little Otter Woman). She not only touches my heart, but, my soul as well.
Mashkiwede'e would be mine. A stunning portrait of a strong woman.
That is a stunning photo, to say the least, GregTx.
The shawl she has is a reknown Ojibwe design known as the ''Floral Design'' around her neck is a choker which is used today for its artistic beauty but back in the day it was used by Ojibwe warriors to protect their necks in battle and was usually made of bone. I think the old use of it fits her very well since she exudes strength.
I think they're all fantastic photos. I also really favor Onwaachige.
Another beautiful photo. It's difficult to pick just one photos as ones favorite.
Mashkiwede'e was one of Greene's fashion photography subjects.
That is some absolute STUNNING photography Kav...
I had to go thru it twice.....
miigwechiwi' giin
I particularly liked Grandmother & Ancient Hands, I don't understand, but they touched something... Powerful images...
(pardon my poor use of your language)
Both grandmother and ancient hands appeal to me as well.
Chi-miigwech
My favorite.
A powerful symbol of ''stand your ground''.
Yes, I can understand why you chose it. It is more than just "street photography" because it makes a statement as well.
Really nice pics. Talented.
Which one is your favorite, Ender?
Toss up between 4 and 20.
They are all good. Hard to pick one.
18 is a beauty too.
All three of those are great photos, Ender.
Strength, hope, and beauty.
Yes indeed.
What would be your favorite, sandy?
It's between 9, for the message it contains, and 10, because she looks so full of joy.
OK, a 9.5 from the Ojibwe judge that covers a tie between the photos.
Both are excellent and both do deliver a message.
Great stuff, Buzz & Kav.
Here's my fav — the craftsmanship of the garment, and the look on his face.
the look on his face - fearless, proud, dignified.
I wasn't sure about using the word 'his'. The article says the pictures are of women, but that looks like a young man to me. Apologies if I'm wrong.
There are actually TWO portraits of men illustrated, and the reference in the article did not say that she ONLY photographed women, but that those demonstrating about missing and murdered women was an important aspect of her work.
Anoon dig.. that is also my favourite photo..proud, dignified and strong..traits that are sadly missing in many people these days...
He could be called an ogichidaa usually interpreted as ''warrior'' but also means veteran, headman/woman there are many related terms one being ''one that stands between the people and evil'' a protector so to speak.
The look and structure on his face remind me of more of the latter.
Reminds me of Jonathan Windy Boy as a young'n before he'd enter the Circle and perform/present his hoop-dances.
Young'n would be a long time ago for him and he was also a world-class grass dancer if I'm not mistaken and is a serving Montana state senator.
Got him to come to one of our Pow-wow's in Orlando as our feature dancer - man, what a crowd showed for that.
I saw him at Red Lake years ago he was there to compete in the Grass Dance competition. Being Chippewa Cree it was a no brainer for him since the Ojibwe (Chippewa) invented the Grass Dance.
It’s heartening to see the attention this article is receiving!
Thank you all so much, these comments really touched my heart <3 I appreciate you all so kindly Miigwech.
Great to have you here.
Thank you all so much, these comments really touched my heart <3 I appreciate you all so kindly Miigwech.
Thank you so very much for joining us here on NewsTalkers, Nedahness. There are a few Native Americans here on this Forum. I am Cherokee, of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
I truly enjoy your amazing photos. They speak from your heart, to our heart. It is a very great honor to have you join us.
Aaniin Nedahness, aniish na?
Niin Kavika Nindizhinikaaz, chi-miigwech for joining us and commenting. Your photos are quite stunning and as you can see everyone thought that they were outstanding.
Are you commenting from Gaa-zagaskwaajimekaag?
I'll be in Ottertail country for the month of June 2022 and will be heading over to Bemidji and plan on stopping by the gallery there to see some of your photos.
Baamaapii
I will hold off on posting Three-Day Weekend so as not to take attention away from this outstanding article.
That's not necessary, A.Mac. I'm sure everyone on NT is capable of chewing gum and riding a bicycle at the same time. Both Kavika and I are very grateful for the response this article got, and I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but this article has been up for a couple of days, and at least 17 members have already responded to it, and due to the holiday it's not likely to get many more comments anyway. Please post the Three-Day Weekend article now.
Coming up shortly.
Love this sort of thing. Absolutely wonderful.