Description
Edward S. Curtis Above the Medicine Line is both an introduction to the Seattle-based photographer and a tribute to a true visionary. While Curtis’s photographs will long be his legacy, his own story is likewise compelling. Curtis built his first camera at 12 and developed that interest into a large Seattle photo studio by the age of 30. Then, on an expedition to Alaska in 1899, Curtis was exposed to First Nations cultures in a way that affected him profoundly. First Nations people had been decimated due to the diseases and aggressions of white settlers. Curtis, alarmed that their traditional ways of life were in danger of disappearing forever, made an incredible effort to capture their daily routines, character and dignity through photography and audio recordings. Curtis had planned to document only the First Peoples of the United States and Alaska, but his exposure to Canada’s Blackfoot Nation spurred him to include all of North America. The visual result was The North American Indian, a 20-volume record of 75 of North America’s Native peoples. This collection of Curtis’s images includes 100 of his most striking images and a biography.
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age:
- 16
- Grade:
- 11
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Annotations
Excellent pictorial history book!
I ordered this book from Munro's of Victoria, out of curiosity. It did not disappoint. The pictures are amazingly clear and a beautiful tribute to the history of the First Nations.
Librarian review
Edward S. Curtis Above the Medicine Line: Portraits of Aboriginal Life in the Canadian West
Edward S. Curtis was a well known photographer who became an ethnographer of many Aboriginal nations in western Canada and the United States. This is the story of his life and how documented information about nations such as the Coast Salish, Siksika and the Kwakwaka’wakw between 1900 and 1930. This book provides excellent information about ethnographers’ bias and the tension created between preserving the cultures and creating an image of the “noble savage”. Information about specific nations describes battles, daily routines and ceremonies. The author succeeds in identifying historical bias.
Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. Canadian Aboriginal Books for Schools. 2010-2011.
Librarian review
Edward S. Curtis Above the Medicine Line: Portraits of Aboriginal Life in the Canadian West
Edward S. Curtis was a well known photographer who became an ethnographer of many Aboriginal nations in western Canada and the United States. This is the story of his life and how documented information about nations such as the Coast Salish, Siksika and the Kwakwaka’wakw between 1900 and 1930. This book provides excellent information about ethnographers’ bias and the tension created between preserving the cultures and creating an image of the “noble savage”. Information about specific nations describes battles, daily routines and ceremonies. The author succeeds in identifying historical bias.
Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. BC Books for BC Schools. 2010-2011.
