Cebula to Speak

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 9, 2007

Lyle Sparkman
(417) 472-7210

 

JOPLIN, MO (SNS) - The Southwest Missouri Chapter of the Missouri Archaeological Society will hold its next meeting at 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 11 in Room 105 of Webster Hall at Missouri Southern State University, 3950 E. Newman Road in Joplin.

 

Dr. Larry Cebula, associate professor of History at Missouri Southern, will make a presentation on his upcoming book Shadowfaker: Edward Curtis and the Native Peoples of the Pacific Northwest.

 

Dr. Cebula makes the following statements:

 

“No single individual has ever been so influential in shaping public perceptions of American Indians as the photographer, Edward Curtis. Millions of Americand who do not know his name instantly recognize his haunting and evocative photographs. Recent scholars have been less kind to Curtis, emphasizing the photographer's considerable biases and many ways in which he staged, posed, and even faked some of his most famous photographs.”

“Curtis took his first photographs of Indians in the Northwest, and many of his most famous images are from the region. My presentations will focus on Curtis' northwest Indian photographs, showing how they were composed to serve his agenda. I will contrast Curtis' photographs with other, little known photographs of northwest Indians from the same time period.

 

Especially significant are studio portraits of Northwest Indians that were arranged by the natives themselves. These portraits of Indians as they chose to be seen - middle class, modern, and confident - will provide a sharp contrast to Curtis' images of an ancient and doomed people.”

 

This presentation is from Dr. Cebula's current research on Curtis and the Northwest Indians for his book to be published by the University of Washington Press. It is the first ethnographic study of the season being sponsored by the Southwest Missouri Chapter of the Missouri Archaeological Society. Future presenters/topics include:

Nov. 8: Dr. Holly Jones (Center for Archaeological Research, MSU): “Wilson's Creek 2007”\

 

Dec. 13: Jack Ray (Center for Archaeological Research, MSU): “Big Eddy 2007”

 

Jan. 10: Dr. Marvin Kay (U of A): "The Dead of Winter, a Caddoan Mortuary Ceremonialism"

 

Feb. 7: Dr. Ann Early (U of A; State Archaeologist, AAS): “Archaeology of the Prehistoric Caddo”

 

March 13: Dr. Jill Greer (MSSU): “Ioway Sacred Bundles and a Head on a Pole”

 

April 10 Dr. Elizabeth Sobel (MSU): "Household Archaeology on the Lower Columbia River"

 

May 8: Larry Grantham (MoDot): “Archaeological Projects of Interest”

 

For more information contact Lyle Sparkman at (417) 472-7210 or e-mail sparkmanl@mail.enr6.k12.mo.us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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