Sitting by the fire this winter I had plenty of time to think about how to make 2022 a great year for adventure. Two years of not traveling was taking its toll. While I had had about 10 months of documenting commercial fishermen on Long Beach Island I needed to find something more adventurous.
The events of the past two years with the Black Lives Matter movement, MeToo movement, and others made me feel it was time to delve into American history on a more personal level. While I have taken it upon myself to read about Black history and watch numerous documentaries like Ava DuVernay’s brilliant “13th” I had not thought much about the American Indian. I discovered a tour offered by The Nation magazine that would teach me about Native Americans and afford me the opportunity to visit native lands in the Dakotas and Colorado and meet with tribal leaders, artisans, historians, etc.. Perfect! Of course, history of our native peoples from their perspective is not really taught in our schools and certainly not when I was in middle and high school. I booked the tour – which will take place in May and which I will document in photos and words.
Now it was time to start doing research and so on my coffee table are three books related to Native Americans. As I read through these books I find myself feeling alternately ashamed and angry as I learn about the genocide that occurred in this country from the discovery of America by the Europeans through the early 1900’s. Let’s just say that my perceptions of history have been forever changed. Even our hero, George Washington, was intent on annihilating the native peoples. So, it is with great interest that I look forward to my journey in May. Stay tuned!
Update! The photo is from the trip and is of the site of the Wounded Knee massacre. More info and photos to come.