Monday, June 2, 2008

Indian Dancers

This photograph was taken in 1914 by Edward Curtis. He called the picture, "Dancing to restore an eclipsed moon". The picture shows Kwakiutl people dancing in a circle around a smoking fire, in an effort to cause a sky creature, which they believe swallowed the moon, to restore it.
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  1. I often wonder if the way we phrase descriptions of Native American religions makes them seem more "primitive." For instance, this dance could be described as a symbolic ceremony that re-creates the myth of a creature swallowing the moon-- rather than implying that Native Americans literally believed there was a monster in the sky. (Not that I think you're being disrespectful at all--I just mean in general when people talk about Native beliefs.) It's interesting how we can change an impression by framing things differently. Just a thought... beautiful photographs!

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