Matika Wilbur: Changing the Way We See Native America

Matika Wilbur is the founder and creator of the Project 562 which is a national project that focuses on photographing more than 562 federally recognized Native American tribes in the United States. The aim of the project is to photograph and preserve images of Native Americans in a contemporary setting in order to improve ideas and representations of Native American peoples and cultures. Wilbur was invited to speak on her project as part of Sacramento State University’s Green and Gold Speaker Series.

Wilbur is a Native American of the Swinomish and Tulalip tribes, and as an ethnic insider she set out to photograph Native Americans in a way that would portray them in modern settings and circumstances as portrayed by one of their own. This approach differs from the historical photographs of Native Americans which have portrayed them  in propagandistic fashions by outsiders, which also became to serve as stereotypical and degrading. Wilbur’s approach appeals to a more modern goal by presenting Native Americans in religious and cultural settings. This idea places emphasis on the fact that Native Americans are agricultural people whose identities are tied to the land as fisherman, weavers, hunters, etc., who maintain their traditions accordingly. Wilbur feels that her project and its depictions portray Native American people as more human and validates their connections to their land and practices.

I think that Wilbur does a good job of portraying Native American people in contemporary settings as ceremonial people and activists who are intent on standing up for their rights and humanity. As a photographer and documentarian she has visited all 50 continental states and photographed the tribes that she has met with, including the happenings and protests of the recent Standing Rock controversy. Part of this action brings to light the current trials of Native American people whom some 84% of polled undergraduate students thought to be extinct when asked “What do people think about Native Americans?”

Project 562 seeks to encourage equity and encourage the building of positive relationships while addressing such issues as systemic oppression. Wilbur addressed the challenge of getting more younger Native Americans to succeed in education, and she pointed out that only 1 in 2,500 Native Americans who continue on to college actually become graduates/professionals. Though Wilbur has become a graduate and educator she says she often felt excluded from the American Dream. I think Wilbur’s approach is an interesting one, particularly from a photographic/artistic point-of-view, since she can see the need for such a project among her people. I was impressed that many of her photographs did portray Native American people in contemporary styling as she shared their stories and some of the goings-on in the world. My only disappointment was that she did not share too many of her photos to highlight the representations and significance of the portraits during her presentation and also I had expected to see Native Americans in more modern roles but, according to Wilbur, there has been a struggle to maintain some of the culture with even the necessity to revive the cultural practice of building canoes. And speaking of canoes, the Pacific Northwest is a stark difference to a lot of the images that have been shown of the plains settlements.