Photo exhibit mixes art, history, politics

MAY 9, 2001

"Native Lands," a new exhibit opening at the Corcoran Gallery this week is unique in a number of ways.

First, its sponsored by Sandia Pueblo of New Mexico. As such, the collection of late 19th- and early 20th-century photographs is one of the first ever tribal-sponsored exhibits at a major gallery in Washington, DC.

Second, according to curator Paul Roth, the exhibit is "very unusual" in how it is presented. Mixing photographs of Western landscapes with those of American Indians, Roth says it functions as a kind of reverse Manifest Destiny, putting Natives back into the lands from which they were often removed.

Third, but perhaps most importantly, Sandia Pueblo isn't represented anywhere in the exhibit.

Instead, there are 61 photographs depicting American Indians and Western settings through the eyes of noted photographers like Timothy O'Sullivan, William Henry Jackson and Frank J. Haynes. Tribes and lands represented include Hopi, Apache, Crow, and Nez Perce, taken at a time when American Indians were believed on the verge of extinction.

But one hundred years later, says Sandia Pueblo council member Frank Chaves, "Indian people are still here." He was on hand last night at the gallery to provide a press preview, explaining why the tribe is sponsoring the exhibit.

The obvious reason is to show the beauty of the photographs, the private collection of Robert G. Lewis, an attorney. But Chaves and other Pueblo officials make no secret they are hoping to use the exhibit to tell their own story of lands lost.

"American Indian people routinely deal with problems that date back to the 19th century," said Chaves. "For Sandia Pueblo, the old unresolved issue is the ownership of Sandia Mountain."

After battling the federal government for years, victory was in sight with a Department of Interior legal opinion concluding the tribe was wrongfully deprived of 10,000 acres of land on the mountain. The decision came on the final day of the Clinton administration in January.

But times quickly change and the tribe still has some political battles to overcome. Facing opposition from Senator Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) and Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.), settlement on the mountain isn't likely for two, three, or possibly more, years.

In the meantime, the Pueblo hopes its exhibit helps raise some questions about how tribal stories are presented in the media.

"Native Lands" opens on Saturday and runs through August 6. A companion exhibit, "Painters and the American West: The Anschutz Collection," is also on display.

Relevant Links:
The Corcoran Gallery - http://www.corcoran.org
Sandia Pueblo - http://www.sandiapueblo.nsn.us
Senator Pete Domenici - http://www.senate.gov/~domenici
Rep. Heather Wilson - http://hillsource.house.gov/wilson/index.asp