Arts & Entertainment | National

Interview with Pamela Peters, Navajo, about photography






Exiled NDNz exhibit by Pamela J. Peters

Indian Country Today interviews photographer Pamela J. Peters about her exhibit on urban Indians in Los Angeles, California:
Like your subjects, you were born on a reservation, and now live in L.A. Can you tell us about that journey? Is there an autobiographical element to these photos, and if so where would we see it?

I came to Los Angeles in my late teens. I came out for a better life that what I was seeing on the rez. However, now that I’m older, I miss my life on the rez. My entire family lives there. The photos I took are more of a historical understanding to “Angelenos” of who we are as American Indians. I selected my subjects who are young-twenty something from various tribes -- just like in the film. And I had them dress in a late-'50s or '60 style to pay tribute to the first generation of "exiled" Indians. My subjects are from various tribes: Seminole, Lakota, Cherokee, Navajo and a local Southern California Indian tribe. Just like many other cultures that live here, they all have a story, yet many people don’t know the history of American Indians' journey to Los Angeles, how it all came about through the relocation programs of the 1950s. I want people to see my images and short documentary as a historical understanding that we, as American Indians, are also part of the history of Los Angeles.

L.A. has the second-largest Native population of any American city* -- do you feel it is a unified population?

I feel that through some of the Indian programs such as American Indian Community Council there is a unification of American Indians. We see each other quite frequently and we support others in their endeavors when we can. Additionally, we unify through community events and of course pow-wows.

Get the Story:
'Exiled NDNz' Photos Tell Story of Rez-Raised Natives Living in L.A. (Indian Country Today 1/4)

Also Today:
Photographing the modern Native American experience (KCRW 1/4)

Join the Conversation