Photography as a way to communicate with viewers
Indeed, photographs are powerful tools of communication. Images can say so much without uttering a single word. Photos can say what words may struggle to answer. For instance, Twitter, one of the most used social media platforms, only allows a maximum of 140 characters of text in a tweet. For someone intending to pass across a complicated or long message, it may be challenging to shorten the words without losing some meaning. At a glance, a photograph can capture attention. Viewers analyze it, understand it and within a short time, interpret it in a certain way hence shaping their perception of a particular story, event, or an idea.
Stan Williams is a renowned photographer from Garden River First Nation. He majored in the line of arts and design before choosing to specialize in photography. During his career, he has taken photos that have made an impression on people all over the world. His images aim to create awareness, raise the communities’ voices, and inspire change among the people. For him, photography has been a tool to bring people together. Two of his photos, Justice For Jonathan Styres – Day of Action and Nimkii Aazhibikong are quite distinct. They pass across different messages to the viewers in a very smooth, and transparent way.
The first photo, Justice for Jonathan Styres – Day of action, was taken on July 2, 2018. At a glance, the image shows a mass of both men and women raising placards and shouting. Their expressions filled with emotions already tell they are angry, outraged, and have a concern that needs to be addressed and taken care of. From the writings on the placards, it is evident that this is a protest happening in Canada.
The photographer wanted to pass across the message of injustice, inequality, and discrimination against the indigenous people of Canada by the jury system in the country. The photo also captures feelings of mistrust, hopelessness, and determination to attain justice. One placard was questioning how the incident was a self-defence-in reference to Jonathan Styres and a couple of other murders of indigenous people. Each time the cases were taken to court, it would be determined that the accused acted in self-defence, and no justice would be served. The people are tired of being discriminated against by the system based on their race. (Einsberg, 2018).
The photo offers proximity and emotional closeness to a subject that the viewer may not have personally experienced. It creates awareness for any viewer who had no idea of the devastating injustices the indigenous people were facing. One of the reasons the crimes in court were rising could be because most people, notably the unaffected, were not aware. Seeing this image raises questions and curiosity to get more information. More people are then able to learn of the injustices and stand by the indigenous people. Viewers can acknowledge what is going on and start a conversation about it.
The image could also capture the attention of bystanders, politicians, and especially the media. The photographer aims to not only attach an issue of concern to the people but also invite the viewers to stand in solidarity in persuasion for change in the jury system. It creates an opportunity for empathy, which motivates people to shift resources and public attention to help shape public policy to achieve social justice. To some viewers, this image is an excellent opportunity to inspire people’s voices to be heard.
The photographer chooses to use black and white photography to remove any sort of distraction of color. Viewers focus and visualize the internal struggles and suffering of the people. To some people, this is a flashback to the era of colonialization. This conveys immediacy and inspires activism. Rather than solely appearing in print, the majority of his images have been posted on Instagram and Facebook. These are expansive social networks meaning that many people can get access to the photos. The visual impact of a traumatic image is not only sensed and internalized by the viewer but also shared and passed along to other people. I believe this photo would play a tremendous impact in bringing social justice and equality to the indigenous
people.
The second photo by the title Nimkii Aazhibikong was taken on September 29th and 30th of 2017. Viewers could interpret this as a tattoo ceremony or an Indigenous tattoo gathering. This ceremony is known as Onaman, which is an Anishinaabe or Ojibwe word referring to red ochre paint and clotting blood from a wound. The Onaman is created by cooking red ochre with animal or fish fat over a low flame for a long time. It is then used as medicine and as a form of art.
The members of Onaman coordinate a host of Indigenous activities, including language immersion and traditional arts camps. They also include art tattoos to address social inequality all over the U.S. and Canada. Many indigenous traditions have been erased over time. For thousands of years, Indigenous Peoples and Nations practiced the traditional art of tattooing. Still, because of genocide and influences of colonization, this practice, as well as the practice of using regular paint on our bodies, became severely diminished in the last 150 years or so until recently where a huge resurgence and revitalization movement is happening among Indigenous Peoples worldwide.
Tattooing is a way to resurrect and remind the people of their culture’s. They are a reflection of their values and beliefs. It connects people with their heritage and cultural roots. The photographer intends to portray aspects of the culture of the Indigenous people. This photo is a way to communicate and make people aware of indigenous cultural practices, teachings, and symbolism through tattoo artistry.
The photographer tries to pass across the message of cultural appreciation. Many times indigenous people feel culturally appropriated when their tattoos are inappropriately adopted and depicted in a wrong way. Symbols have intense and spiritual attachments to them.
The dominant groups are mostly guilty of cultural appropriation. Most times, because they were ignorant to learn about the meaning behind the tattoo they put on their bodies. Many companies, magazines, and even politicians have been accused of cultural appropriation. Justin Trudeau’s arm tattoo is one of those that were being bashed. This photo aims to inspire people to dig deeper and educate themselves on the importance and meaning of these tattoos to the indigenous people to avoid cultural appropriation. Being knowledgeable of the values and beliefs attached to the tattoos would make the viewers gain respect for other people’s cultures. (Udy, 2017).
The photo brings a sense of pride and belonging to those of the indigenous communities. The ceremony reminds them of their culture and values, especially in this modern age, where cultures are slowly dying. The viewers can acknowledge who they are and experience a sense of courage and healing for the injustices that their fellow people have been undergoing. This photo is an inspiration for all the indigenous people to speak up against their suffering and discrimination. They are motivated to speak up on all the atrocities they’ve been facing because of their race.
The photographer once again used social media platforms to display his photos. These are educational platforms that give viewers a chance to comment and express how they feel about the images. Other viewers can also respond to the comments and, in the process, gain knowledge of what they did not know.
As one of the viewers of these two photographs, I am more informed of the issues and atrocities that indigenous people have been facing over the years. I am also informed of their cultures and how important it is to learn and be humble, respectful, open, and non- judgemental to other cultures. Each viewer has a responsibility to create a better community by unifying
ourselves as one human family beyond any race and color. Photography is an essential form of communication.
References
Einsberg, Avigail. ” The struggles of structural Injustice to reconciliation: Truth and Reconciliation in Canada” Tayor and Francis online. Ethics and Global Politics Journal. Web. Sept 11 2018.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16544951.2018.1507387
Kaskaz Dion. “Embodying the Past in the Present for the Future: Practicing, Supporting, and
Highlighting Indigenous Tattoo Revivals Through Indigenous and Creative Research
Methodologies” University of British Columbia. UBC Theses and Dissertations. April, 2018.
https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/24/items/1.0365997
Udy Vanessa. “The Appropriation of Aboriginal Cultural Heritage: Examining The Uses And Pitfalls Of The Canadian Intellectual Property Regime.” Lawyers and Patent and Trademark Agents. Robic. May, 2017
https://www.robic.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/173-031E-VUD-2014.pdf