Project 562

Starred review from June 9, 2023

In 2012, social documentarian and photographer Wilbur initiated this project to photograph people from all 562 federally recognized Tribal Nations in North America. (Since then, the number of federally recognized Tribes has grown to 574. Wilbur also went beyond the original 562 by visiting state-recognized Tribes, urban Indians, international Tribes, and Tribes who have not been recognized by Congress.) The results of Wilbur's travels across Turtle Island (an Indigenous name for North America) are beautifully presented here as portraits of Indigenous people, alongside interviews. There are also spotlight essays on topics such as Standing Rock and the annual Canoe Journey in the Coast Salish Sea. In Wilbur's interviews, focusing on Indigenous identity, interview subjects address being able to more fully and accurately express themselves in the language of their Tribe and language-learning as a key aspect of understanding their Tribe. Returning to the lands of one's Tribe (even if only for a visit) is also described as essential; notably, many of the photographs depict the subjects outside, often in their ancestral lands. The result is a unique portrait of Indigeneity in North America. VERDICT An essential purchase for all libraries; as the people and places pictured here span Turtle Island, the book will be relevant to patrons everywhere.--Sarah Wolberg

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 15, 2023
Superb collection of images of Indigenous peoples throughout the U.S. Wilbur, a Swinomish and Tulalip photographer, set out with the aim of developing "a documentary project dedicated to changing the way people see Native America." She doesn't present images of all of the 562 federally recognized tribes that give her collection its name, but it's not for want of trying. Featuring hundreds of portraits, this book represents years of travel, conversations, and quiet negotiations, as when Wilbur ventured into the depths of the Grand Canyon to speak with the Havasupai people who live there and was put off for three days until she presented a gift of fry bread to a previously reluctant interlocutor. "We just remain within our people, hidden inside the Earth, inside the canyon," said her interviewee. "Maybe we can find peace and quiet where we live." Whether old or young, the people the author portrays speak to the difficult realities of Native life. Many have experienced the devastating effects of deracination imposed from the outside, with the suppression of Indigenous languages and cultural norms. "I'm the only one here that can speak the language...I talk to myself," notes one Ojibwe elder. Sometimes it's kind of funny--I don't want them Crees to hear me talk to myself. They may send me out to the nut house!" Apart from portraying a vast array of individual people, Wilbur punctuates her portfolio with studies of events and themes; especially moving and memorable is her inside view of the water protectors of the Standing Rock Sioux. Some of the author's subjects are well known, including the famed poet/musician Joy Harjo and the late John Trudell, and some are unknown but making their marks on the world nonetheless. All, Wilbur amply shows, take great pride in being Native even as they battle prejudice, sometimes on many fronts. Essential for readers interested in modern Native American lives and traditions.

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October 16, 2023
In a combination of astonishing photographs and stunning storytelling, Matika Wilbur's extensive collection seeks to document members from the more than 562 federally recognized Tribal Nations in the U.S. Wilbur, a member of the Swinomish and Tulalip Tribes, began her journey in 2012 through a Kickstarter campaign, catalyzing a decade-long endeavor to "uplift the contemporary complexity of Native America's intelligence, the truth of our hearts, to build a better way to the other side." Wilbur's project chronicles the beauty, love, activism, art, teaching, and unforgettable stories of Indigenous people across her 600,000-mile journey. Employing "indigenous photography methods," she focuses on the cultivation of relationships and honoring of tradition before capturing her images. From a junior from the Red Cliff Band Ojibwe Tribe navigating the white-centered spaces of Dartmouth College to Duncan Standing Rock Sr. of the Rocky Boy's Chippewa Cree Reservation, one of the last known Little Shell Chippewa/Ojibwe speakers, the immense depth and range of Indigenous stories Wilbur captures creates a vital work of documentation. Wilbur did not quite reach 562 Tribes for this work, acknowledging that, ultimately, that number does not encompass the many variations or experiences of the Native community. Wilbur's work is an engrossing testament that "The extraordinary land we walk on is Native land, whether it be city streets, suburban cul-de-sacs, deserts, plains, mountains, or shorelines. Indigenous existence is all around us. It is up to us to listen."

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.