and warriors, the intricate beadwork, the horses, and the Plains landscape have come to exemplify the American Indian.  However, his photographs of the Plains Indians also documented many other aspects of tribal life -- including hunting, warfare, vision quests and religious ceremonies.

The tribes of the Great Plains were the most formidable and powerful in North America, and they inspired Curtis by the majesty of their lives.  The great expanses of land and sky, the horses, the lodges, the sacred sun ceremonies -- all are depicted in Curtis's stirring Plains landscape photographs.


The Southwest

The summer of 1900 also brought Curtis to the American Southwest.  Initially, he chose to photograph the region's Hopi, Navajo and Apache tribes, and in the ensuing years, he would return to study and photograph the various tribes of the Southwest more frequently than those of any other area.

The Indians of the Southwest lived primarily in Arizona and New Mexico, although their presence also extended into parts of Texas, California and northern Mexico.  Because of the scarcity of vegetation, game and water in their semi-arid habitat, the tribal people of the Southwest became largely dependent on agriculture for subsistence.  As their reliance on agriculture grew, the Indians of the Southwest adopted an increasingly village-oriented culture.  In fact, some of their villages and pueblos have been inhabited continuously for hundreds of years, making them among the oldest permanent settlements still in use in North America today.

One reason Curtis was drawn to the Southwest Indian tribes was the opportunity they afforded him for an unusual glimpse into Indian life undiluted by the influence of European customs.  In the early 1900s, many people still lived in traditional ways, deeply attached to their ancient culture and religious practices.  Additionally, Curtis was fascinated by the strong relationship Southwest Indians had with their ancestral land, which in both its physical and metaphysical manifestations was at the center of their history, tradition and beliefs.  Virtually all practices revolved around it.

Curtis's immersion in the landscape and cultures of the Southwest Indian clearly is evident in the photographs he made in the region.  These images, and the written records that Curtis produced over several decades, mirror his deep understanding of the unique geocultural interplay of people and place.

Exhibit credits and itinerary

After decades of obscurity in rare book rooms and private collections, Curtis's remarkable photographic record of North American Indian life from 1900 to 1930 now is experiencing a renaissance, as scholars and other enthusiasts rediscover a dramatic visual testimonial to the proud history of North America's native peoples.

The photographs featured in the twin exhibits that will travel throughout Latin America are drawn from the archive and personal collection of Christopher Cardozo, widely recognized as one of the world's leading authorities on Curtis and his photography.  Cardozo is the author of six books on Curtis and is the founder/chair of the Edward S. Curtis Foundation.

Starting in early October, the two identical exhibits will open simultaneously in Guatemala and Argentina, and will circulate around the region until November 2006.  In addition to Guatemala and Argentina, the exhibits will be on display in Colombia, Venezuela, Honduras, Nicaragua, Chile, Paraguay and Peru.