Famous Photographers Series - Part 6 - Roland Reed
Famous Photographers Series - Part 6 - Roland Reed
Roland Reed
On my last historical photo-essay I said in the introduction: "Comments about the photos are encouraged - perhaps there are places that are recognized, if so, please tell us." One of the photos on the article was of an Indian War Dance dated June of 1910. Kavika then posted a comment indicating where that photo was taken. He then posted a photo of a Blackfoot Burial that had been photographed by Ronald Reed and said there was a story for it. When I thanked Kavika for what he had posted, and asked what the story was, he suggested to me the idea of doing a photo-essay of Roland Reed's photographs of Indians, and I thought that with his knowledge of the history and folklore of the Indians, collaborating with Kavika providing the background, explanations and context to the photos would not only make the article more interesting to the NT members, but also perhaps be a lesson for all of us in the Indians' historical culture and traditions. In fact both of us were quite enthused with the idea of such a collaboration, and so here it is. I posted the introduction, photos and photo titles, and Kavika provided the commentary on what the photos depicted, Reed's notes on some of them, and the dates and locations that were not available to me. (Kavika's additions appear in green .).
As for Roland Reed, here is an excerpt from Wikipedia:
"Roland (Royal Jr.) W. Reed (June 22, 1864 – December 14, 1934), an American artist and photographer, was part of an early 20th century group of photographers of Native Americans known as pictorialists.
Pictorialists were influenced by the late 19th Century art movement, Impressionism, and their photography was characterized by an emphasis on lighting and focus. Rather than record an image as it was, pictorialists were more interested in re-creating an image as they thought it might have been. Part artist and part scientist, they endeavored to have their re-creations reflect not only the highest artistic value, but unquestioned ethnological accuracy as well. At the beginning of the 20th century a number of pictorialists, noticing the extremely deleterious impact of reservation life on Native Americans, wanted to recreate in photographs the Indian's life and ways as they had been in better times, rather than record how it had actually become."
Many of Reed's photos have appeared in National Geographic Magazine. As well, the Great Northern RR used his photos in advertisements for trips to Glacier Nat'l Park and other points.
Following is a series of 50 photographs by Roland Reed, with commentary and other additions (in green) by Kavika.
1. At the Spring (1908)
Red Lake, MN. The Ojibwe girl's name is ''She-Who-Travels-in-the-Sky". Note the birch bark baskets (waterproof) and beaded moccasins.
2. The Eagle (1911)
Montana. Blackfoot Indians
3. Alone With the Past (1913)
Canyon de Chelly, viewing the White House. Navajo
4. Everywind (1907}
Red Lake, MN. Also known as Everwind, Evilwind. The Ojibwe girl's name is Evangeline.
5. Chief's Daughters (1908)
Red Lake, MN. Note the Thunderbird on the shield. The Thunderbird is the symbol of the Ojibwe Nation.
6. Ojibwe Woman Tapping for Sugar Maple Syrup (1908)
Red lake, MN. Sugar maple and maple syrup are staples of the Ojibwe people.
7. End of the Chase (1908)
Roland Reed's note on this photo: ''This picture was obtained late in January in the barrens of northern Minnesota, between the north shore of Red Lake and the Rainy River. The hunt was made on snow shoes [Ojibwe invented the snow shoe] and covered a circle of over fifty miles. I spent a number of nights out with the Indians, sleeping in the open with nothing but blankets, before the picture was secured."
8. Nature's Mirror (1908)
Red Lake, MN.
9. Ogamah (1907)
Ogamah is the Ojibwe word for Chief or Headman. This is Chief A-way-go-nain.
10. Papoose Pack-a-Back (1908)
Red Lake, MN.
Reed's note: ''The bright eyed papoose is being carried in what the Indians call a 'dickinogun' which is their name for a cradle board. The back was usually made by hueing a board 25 to 30 inches long and about a foot wide out of basswood or cedar. A curved piece of wood or birch bark was fastened to the bottom of the cradle board to hold the papoose from slipping down and gives a resting place for its little feet.''
11. Ponemah (1908)
Red Lake, MN. The girl's name is Ponemah. The translation is ''At the narrows'' coming from the Ojibwe word "Obaasliing". The town of Ponemah on the Red Lake Reservation is a totally Ojibwe speaking town and adheres to all of the old ways of the Ojibwe. The Children are taught both Ojibwe and English and some also speak French.
12. The Wooing (1908)
Shores of Red Lake, MN. Dawn Mist and her lover White Quiver. He is shown with a full headdress but is too young to have earned all the eagle feathers. He probably ''borrowed'' it from his father to impress Dawn Mist.
13. The Colors
With the use of birch bark for the wig wams, these structures withstood temperatures as low as minus 50F. Note the beautiful bead work he is wearing.
14. The Hunters (1907)
The mouth of the Mud River, near Redby, MN. which is on the southern shores of Red Lake, MN.
Reed notes on this photo: "Paddling a canoe monotonously back and forth, the bow Indian (Yellow Face) stolidly discharged an arrow at a certain buoy every time the birch bark passed it. '' More life to it, Yellow Face, " I shouted. "You wouldn't shoot a deer in that dead fashion." "I'm not shooting a deer, Big Plume [Reed]. I'm shooting a tree. Imagine a deer. Think that you see a deer swimming trying to get away. How can I see a deer when there is no deer, Big Plume?"
"This was unanswerable and the afternoon was growing yellow although the shadows and reflections in the shining river were at their best."
"I had been paying the two Indians a regular wage for three days in an effort to get this one picture. Then all of a sudden inspiration I drew out a handful of silver dollars and stuck them in the crevices of the tree bark. targetwise toward the bouy. "Make one more round, Yellow Face, while the light lasts, and listen. Shoot at these silver dollars as you pass the mark. Every one you knock down is yours." I shouted. On the next circuit the archer centered five silver dollars with five whizzing shafts, and while I was out of pocket that much money, I was in pocket one of the very few animated Indian photographs in existence."
15. The Moose Call (1908)
Stone Lake, MN. Using a roll of birch bark (wigwas) to call the moose. Reed paid him $10 if he could call out a moose to the lake. He was so intent on getting the moose to the lake that his pose isn't a pose at all. It's him in his natural environment. He did call a moose to the lake. Reed was very proud that many of his photos were not posed, but naturally performing some act of their aboriginal lives, never ''getting their picture took.''
16. The Old Trapper (1908)
Red Lake, MN. In full winter clothing including snow shoes. Failure to get prey could result in death to the hunter and or his family. Freezing temps as low as minus 50F and deep snow made for a deadly hunt.
17. The Parting (1908)
Shores of Red Lake, MN. This photo is also known as ''The Family''. I believe that this is Dawn Mist and White Quiver.
18. The Old Trapper's Daughter (1908)
Red Lake, MN. Nodin-E-Bendis (Wind Bird) waits for the return of her father.
19. The Fisherman (1908)
Stone Lake, MN. The August 23rd issue of National Geographic carried this photo. Ojibwe Indians were excellent fisherman and all were adept at using the spear for fishing. This is still true today. His name is Ke-ne-wi-gwon-ay-aush (Joe Strong).
20. The Council (1912)
Piegan Indians in camp and at council on Lake McDermott, Glacier Nat'l Park, just over the west boundary of the Blackfoot reservation, Montana.
21. Blackfoot Indians At Ptarmigan Lake (1912)
Glacier Nat'l Park Montana
22. Chief in Full Headdress (1912/13)
Chief Lazy Boy, Piegan Indians, Montana
23. Echoes Call (1913)
Reed notes: ''Ode to Indians' mountainous homeland. Montana"
24. Into the Wilderness (1912)
Blackfoot Indians. The photo is also known as ''Following the Old Travois Trail, Lake McDermott, Glacier Nat'l Park, Montana"
25. Last Star (1912)
Blackfoot Indian, Montana
26. Leaving Camp (1912)
Blackfoot women, part of a larger photo that included another five Blackfoot men. Montana
27. LIttle Bird (1908)
Piegan Indian, Montana
28. Long John (1907)
Ojibwe Indian, Red Lake, MN. Nah-Gaun-Way-We-Dung (Talking Leading Guide)
29. Medicine Man Yellow Plume (1912)
Blackfoot Indian. Montana
30. Meditation (1912)
Blackfoot Indians. Glacier Nat'l Park, Montana
31. Pow Wow (1913)
Blackfoot Indians. Bill Shoot, Black Bull, Eagle Child, Stabs by Mistake, unknown. Montana
32. The Pagan (Lazy Boy) (1912)
Piegan Chief. Montana
33. Stolen Property (1912)
A Piegan and his pony in the Montana hills.
34. Moccasin Foot (1912/13)
Blackfoot Indians, Dawn Mist and Chief White Robe.
35. Prayer to the Thunderbird (1912)
Blackfoot Indians. Montana.
Reed notes: ''The Prayer to the Thunderbird is interesting I think, because this bird, which is the Night Ouzel, is sacred along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico, showing the common origin of the superstitions of different tribes."
It is also sacred to the Navajo of the SW and the Ojibwe of the Woodland and Plains.
36. The Hunting Ground (1912)
Blackfoot Indians at Altyn Lake, Montana
37. The Landmark (1912)
Blackfoot Indians, Glacier Nat'l Park, Montana
38. Tribute to the Dead (1912)
Blackfoot Indians, Montana.
Reed notes: ''A notable picture of the Peigans is 'Tribute to the Dead'. This photograph was obtained only after a most earnest and persuasive argument to the chief of the tribe, urging that the ancient rites and ceremonies of the race should be preserved for future generations. The central figures are an Indian father and mother in deep grief because of the death of their son whose body rests upon the funeral bier. Adorning the posts which support this are horse-tails, skins of fur-bearing animals, a buffalo hump shield, with its long quills from the eagle, and a feathered spear.''
It was customary that the body be wrapped in a buffalo skin with head and tail intact. The buffalo had been killed off and Indians then turned to burying their dead in graves. Reed traveled far to find a intact buffalo hide to allow the family to bury their son in the ancient way. He preserved this custom and the photo is the last of the ancient burial rites of the Piegan Indians.
39. Up the Cutback (1913)
Montana. Reed notes: ''The Blackfoot are in winter camp. In the old buffalo days before cold weather came in the fall, the Indians would look up some sheltered valley, such as you see in the picture, where they would have water and wood, and high hills to protect their tepees from the cold winter winds. When spring came they would take down their tepees and move them out into the more open country, where there would be better grass for their ponies, and they would be closer to the buffalo herds.''
40. Waiting for the Hunters
Blackfoot Indians, Montana. Also known as ''Moving camp from Two Medicines''
41. Watching the Herd (1912)
Blackfoot Indians, Montana
Reed notes: ''One of the most difficult pictures to get was 'Watching the Herd'. These figures, crawling and crouching on the promontory, were in motion when the bulb was pressed. Always preparatory to making a picture, I talk with the Indians, getting from them an expression as to the manner in which, for instance, in this picture, they would locate game. Through the grass and underbrush at the foot of the promontory they crawled and wriggled their way up to the edge of the rock from which, with their trained eye, they pierced every nook and cranny for elk, buffalo, antelope, in the wide sweep of the country, or maybe even such small game as rabbit.''
42. Winter Count (1912)
Blackfoot Indian, Montana. Big Spring painting his autobiography on the flesh side of a tanned elk skin.
43. Chief Steel (1913)
Alberta, Canada. A Blood Indian and head of the Horn Society
44. Shepherd of the Hills (1913)
Arizona. A Navajo silversmith. Many Goats.
45. The Obelisk (1913)
Arizona. Known as ''Spider Rock'' to the Navajo. Note the riders at the bottom of the monument.
46. The Pottery Maker (1913)
Hopi Indian. Arizona. The Hopi are known for their beautiful pottery today.
47. Stringing the Bow (1913)
Navajo Indian. Arizona. Taken against the backdrop of Canyon de Chelly.
48. The Weaver (1913)
Navajo Indian, Arizona. Spider Woman, who according to Navajo legend taught their ancestors the art of weaving on a loom, was thought to live at the top of Spider Rock. Reed recorded not only her mythological home, but also the craft she taught the Navajo. The art of weaving is alive and well today and hand woven Navajo rugs are very much in demand and quite expensive. In fact, a Navajo blanket/rug just sold for $1.5 million dollars. It was a rare rug, called ''Ute Chief blanket''
49. Sons of Manuelita (1913)
Arizona. Manuelita was a famous War Chief of the Navajo.
50. In Camp (1913)
''Untitled''...The Great Northern RR included this image in a Glacier Nat'l ''See America First'' souvenir folder of postcard-sized colored versions of Reed's Blackfeet Indian photographs and called it, ''Tale of the Hunter''.
A biography of Roland Reed can be found here: http://www.wisconsinart.org/archives/artist/roland-reed/profile-4140.aspx
Wikipedia also has much information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_W._Reed
Other photos may be found by googleing the name Roland W Reed (The W is necessary as there is another Roland Reed who is an actor).
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The next photo-essay of the Famous Photographers series will be about Annie Leibovitz, whose amazing portraits of celebrities have been on many magazine covers.
Chi-miigwetch (many thanks) to Buzz for this essay.
Great collaborative effort!
Thank you very much Buzz and Kavika. I really enjoyed all of these photos very much. To have lived the life of Roland Reed and been able to be take all these photos must have been a most inspiring experience.
Mr. Reed clearly cared about the people and his work. (-:
Oh, I really enjoyed this presentation. But, I have always a spiritual connection with the American Indian. Thank you.
Beyond amazing photo essay. It really does give you the feeling for the period and indian life. I have never seen such a comprehensive view of day to day living.
Truly special.
I love it when something that brings people together is delivered and collaborated. This is "bringing out the good stuff"!
Wonderful photos! Thank you Kavika and Buzz. Looking forward to the next collection. (smile)
Thank you Buzz and Kavika.
My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about the life and traditions of the American Indian.
I googled for more info on Reed and his photos.
I found a video on youtube that included these and a few more photos.
Again, my sincere thanks for creating this article.
This is the best photo essay yet!
I'll be looking at every picture any number of times.
Many thanks for posting this!
I do consider it to be the best photo-essay I've been involved with so far, and that's because it was a collaboration with the perfect person with whom to partner, the one who had the knowledge to combine with the photos.
Modern Ojibwe wedding. Descendants of Dawn Mist and White Quiver?
How nice!! (I like the way the "teacher" asks the "students" this all important question!) (-:
So truly pure and beautiful. I pray that they live a long and happy life together. (smile)
Thank you Buzz and Kavika. This is the good stuff! "That's what I am all about!"
The photo of Everywind (Evangeline) was taken on the Red Lake reservation. The girl in the photo and my grandmother, Whirling Girl, were childhood friends. My grandmother spoke of Roland Reed a number of times to me and remembered him from the years he spent with the Ojbiwe.
Thank you for adding the background information on the photos, Kavika. I can only imagine how beautiful your Grandmother was. Knowing the history of the photos helps to bring them more to life and gives more depth of meaning.
That's really nice. Really nice, indeed! Raven, you are so right. Background stories are a plus!
Wow, this is so cool my man, great history and, wonderful looking family.
LOL, are you following me around the US, 9mm?
Yes, I'm from Red Lake and have plenty of relatives still around the area. I go back every summer for 2 to 4 weeks.
Happy that you enjoyed the essay. A wonderful Thanksgiving to you and yours, 9mm.
Wonderful presentation, very cool pics and the photographer's descriptions add to the story!
Absolutely stunning! Thank you Buzz.
I appreciate your reply, Don, but the essay would not be as special as it is without Kavika's input as well, besides the fact that it was his idea in the first place.