#indigenous-identity

#indigenous-identity

Wilson's work reexamines how Native peoples have been photographed and represented over time. Using modern photographic techniques and digital media, he responds to Curtis's influential project The North American Indian (1907-1930), inviting viewers to reflect on questions of identity, visibility, and who has the power to shape the images we see.

The widespread issue of "pretendians" remains under-examined even in Native circles. The topic is politically and socially fraught, with hyper-online crusaders taking up the mantle of pretendian hunting in pursuit of social media clout. The problem is real, but these sometimes vicious vigilante efforts have been known to conflate personal vendetta and erroneous or uneven methodology with rational research and concern for Indigenous communities.