Famous Photographers - Part 19 - Zoe Marieh Urness
Famous Photographers - Part 19 - Zoe Marieh Urness
When I first saw an article by Kavika on his group Anishinaabe, I was quite taken and impressed by the photography of Zoe Mariah Urness who was referred to in it. I asked Kavika if he would once again collaborate with me to produce a photo-essay that contained photos along with his comments about them, and he immediately agreed to the project. We hope that it will be as pleasing and educational as our first collaboration.
From Four Friends Gallery:
Zoë Marieh Urness is an Alaskan Tlingit and Cherokee Native American whose portraits of modern Native people in traditional regalia and settings aim to send a message; “We are here. And, through our traditions, we are thriving.” Her unique style fuses documentary and fine art, with her imagery simultaneously reflecting the sensitivity and the ancestral strength of her subjects. Educated at Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA, Zoë’s current project focuses exclusively on sharing beautiful, powerful images of indigenous Americans and the lands and traditions they hold dear.
She has recently visited the Havasupai at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, the Hopi at Second Mesa, the Apache Crown Dancers at Monument Valley, and the Alaskan natives at the biennial Celebration in Juneau. She has showed abroad in the United Kingdom, and made show appearances at Photo L.A., Art Basel Miami, the Heard Market in Arizona, and Native Treasures in Santa Fe. She has made two appearances on the plaza at the Santa Fe Indian Market, winning three blue ribbons, including Best in Division and Best in Category. Recently the Autry Museum recognized her recent image, Keeping Traditions Alive, as best in her division.
Zoe’s Autobiography
“I am a Tlingit Alaskan and Cherokee Native American. I was raised to have pride in my culture and to know the importance of keeping Native American traditions alive. My love for photography started at a very young age and I followed my dreams to be a photographer all the way through my graduation from Brooks Institute of Photography in 2008. I have worked as a professional photographer in Seattle, Washington, Santa Fe, New Mexico and Santa Barbara, California. My freelance photography includes weddings, sports, products, fashion and editorial work. What I have found to be the most personally fulfilling is photographing indigenous peoples. I feel deeply connected to my native heritage, and my recent body of work is the first phase of Native Americans: Keeping the Traditions Alive.”
This is a video of Zoe Marieh Urness, speaking of her work, and although it requests donations for her cause, it is not a request by Kavika and myself that you donate or have any obligation to do so unless it is a cause that you particularly want and choose to support.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/traditions/native-americans-keeping-the-traditions-alive
Following are 18 of Zoe's photos, with descriptions and commentary ( in green ) by Kavika.
1. Dog Soldiers of the Northern Cheyenne
One of the military clans of the Cheyenne, many times called the ''Scourge of the Plains''. An Ohio reporter seeing the Dog Soldiers for the first time when he was covering the critical negotiations at Medicine Lodge Creek in Kansas wrote this: ''The awesome warriors were armed to the teeth with revolvers and bows...Proud, haughty, defiant as should become those who are to grant favors, not beg them.'' Today young Cheyenne are recruited into the Dog Soldiers. They have fought in WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam.
2. Raven Tells His Story in the Fog
For these three "Raven" photos, Zoe photographed Gene Tagaban (Tlingit) on tree stumps along Interstate 90 in Washington State.
In Alaska and Siberia there is a native belief that the present world owes much of its form and features to an immortal being called Raven or “Shagoon” whose combined attributes are of spirit, human, bird, genius, and fool. He is a god often known as Heaven and has a diffuse and distant interest in the world. Among Tlingit, this being is called Shagoon, with a complex meaning that includes ancestors, heritage, origin, destiny, and supreme deity. The regalia used in the Raven Dance is very complex and beautiful. The masks alone are considered works of art.
3. Raven Rising With the Ancient Council
4. Dancer of the Raven's Tail (Tale?)
5. Famous Shoes
Photo taken in the Badlands of a Lakota Sioux from Pine Ridge Reservation.
6. Hopi Maiden
The hairstyle is called the "Squash Blossom Whorl" and is worn by young unmarried Hopi women. It was made famous by Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) in the original Star Wars movie trilogy.
7. Hopi Girl I
8. Hopi Girl III
9. We Are Still Here. No Spiritual Surrender
The photo shows 3 tipis, one engulfed in flames, the second partially engulfed and the third with no flames. They signify that our spirit cannot be destroyed.
10. No Spiritual Surrender
This photo was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in feature photography by World Literature Today, where it appears as the cover of the magazine's May 2017 issue, ''New Native Writings: From Wounded Knee to Standing Rock." It captures a moment on the frigid, snowy day when the U.S. Veterans arrived to join the water protectors.
11. Forever Free With the Wind In My Hair
A SW Indian enjoying the freedom of living with nature.
12. The Loss
This young Indian woman has suffered a loss.
13. The Horse Whisperer
14. One With Earth and Sky
15. North Tide
16. Bear Woman I
17. Bear Woman II
18. Lilly
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A member recently indicated to me that they enjoyed these photo essays, so after almost a year, Kavika and I collaborated once again to create a Famous Photographers article about a brilliant young Native American photographer.
Thanks to Buzz, for bringing Zoe's photography to NT.
Absolutely beautiful. This lady has the talent to be a photographic artist and displays it to the fullest. Many thanks for posting it guys.
These photos look more like paintings and not photography. They are truly outstanding in beauty and skill and capture the spirit of the Indian people. I wish that I could afford an original. She is truly gifted.
She truly has an eye for capturing things are just the right moment, or just the right angle. There is certainly nothing casual about her photography technics. She is certainly is a very gifted photographer.
LUV # 10 - see the USMC flag???? WOW.
Buzz - isn't this the young lady whose goal is to travel to as many tribes/nations as she can and portray their history through pics?
No, that would be Matika Wilbur, 1st.
Brilliant essay, Buzz and Kavika. Thank-you
Classic.
Such beautiful photos. I am lost as to how she can catch those scenes.
For anyone who missed the link to the associated article should take the time to go back and take the time to read it and watch the videos.
Great work team.
I have a couple of questions for our team who put this article toigether.
Does Zoe have a schedule she is trying to follow?
Also, I can't help it, but those tree stumps in the Raven scenes, are they cedar? Some ancient cedar that sill persists?
I think that Zoe has clearly indicated what her intent is - what her schedule is for doing so is not so clear, and it might depend on her finances. The size of the stumps would suggest they are from ancient cedars.
Otherwise I don't have answers for you - perhaps Kavika does.
Thanks Buzz.
Her project sounds fascinating. If at all possible i would like to see if she is in a position to have put a schedule together. If she happens come through the area I would like to see her do her work.
They way those roots and the woods presents itself sure looks like cedar from ancient days.
I will wait for Kavika to see if he has some thoughts.
I'm not positive but I'm fairly sure that the are cedar, dave...The photo was taken in Washington state and I 90 runs from Seattle to the east coast with cedar being in both Washington and Idaho.
She is on Facebook and I believe that the schedule information is there. I'm not on FP so I can't verify it.
Great. Then I will look her up sometime today.
Those scenes are all captured so well.
Thank you.
I guessed they are cedar for a few reasons. First of all, live cedars are green all year and survive cold winters in northern climates such as Canada so I assume Alaska as well. They can also become quite ancient and in fact huge. I have seen photos of old ones that show roots something like those in her photos, and especially, since Zoe is also Cherokee besides being Alaska Tlingit, cedars are very special in Cherokee folklore, as this story indicates:
Great story Buzz.
Thank you.
I have seen photos of old cedars that show roots something like those in her photos, such as this:
The SEPIA images are off the chart!
If you were to be gifted with one or two of her photo prints of your choice, which one or two would you choose. Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine.
I guess A.Mac's not returning, so although Dog Soldiers is the most stunning of the photos, which is why we both decided to use it as the "article" photo, my choices would be Horse Whisperer because I can get into the minds of both the human and the animal at that moment, and Hopi Girl III because it illustrates the vastness of the land and the almost insignificance of a human in comparison.
OK, I'll tell you mine first...Dog Soldiers and No Spiritual Surrender...
Thanks Buz. I love em. I like the last one best.
Kavika and I are working on our next Famous Photographers presentation, to be the photography of Matika Wilbur, an Indian who is carrying on a three-year project to record the images of and verbal history of contemporary citizens from almost all of America's federally recognized tribes - called Project 562 (Kavika has pointed out that there are actually now 567 recognized tribes in America).
Here is a sample of what's to come: