If we think of American Indians, it is very likely that the first image to come to mind is that, dated, stereotyped and reductive, of wild individuals dressed in skins and with feather headdresses. To combat this entrenched and fallacious western film depiction, a photographer embarked on a long journey among the native tribes of the United States, with the aim of taking pictures that show their "true face".
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If we think about American Indians, it is very likely that the first image to come to mind is that, dated, stereotyped and reductive, of wild individuals dressed in skins and with feather headdresses. To combat this western film representation, as rooted as it is fallacious, a photographer has embarked on a long journey among the native tribes of the United States, with the aim of taking pictures that show their "true face".
Il Project 562 in Matika Wilbur, named after the number of Indian tribes officially recognized by the U.S. Federal Government, wants to do justice to Native Americans by making them known for who they are - well-rounded men and women, with family and professional lives -, and by trying to break that down simplified and caricatured representation, hard to die, which too often leads to consider them as second-class citizens.
The project officially began three years ago when, after two crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter, the young Seattle photographer set off on her voyage of discovery: an adventure in the heart of America, which has already led her to travel over 400 kilometers and to rediscover his own Indian roots, as well as a knowing different faces and stories - elderly tribal chiefs, lawyers, artists, grandparents, designers, researchers… -, who make up an extremely varied picture, light years away from the old stereotypes of cinematic matrix.
"I'm doing all of this because perceptions matter." - explains Matika Wilbur- “Perceptions fuel racism. They fuel segregation. Our perception determines how we treat others. "
Today there are approximately 5,2 million Native Americans, less than 2% of the population of the United States: of these, many live on the reservations, where the rates of poverty, alcoholism and drug addiction are high, as well as domestic abuse. A dramatic picture that, at least in part, depends on the loss of roots and traditions and the absence of prospects for the future.
In addition to showing the many faces of the natives, against all racism and discrimination, Wilbur also wants to help improve conditions for his people, telling through his shots of stories of hope and resilience. To show the new generations that going towards the future does not mean having to deny the past and strip oneself of one's cultural roots.
Lisa Vagnozzi
Photo Credits: Matika Wilbur, Project 562
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