The Foodways of Native Peoples
in the Photographs of Edward Curtis

As part of Western Week, and in conjunction with The Arizona Native Edible Experience that was held at Western Spirit on Saturday, February 5th, visitors to the museum were able to experience a wealth of Indigenous foodways as depicted in Edward Curtis’s photographs, now on view in Light and Legacy: The Art and Techniques of Edward S. Curtis. From his earliest images of Native Peoples in the Pacific Northwest, through his journeys through the Great Plains, the Southwest, the Great Basin, and the Pacific Coast, Curtis sought to capture the cultures of those he met and lived among, including the gathering, preparation, and preservation of food. Just as coastal peoples hunted whales, sea otters, and wildfowl, speared and netted salmon and other species of fish, and gathered shellfish and seaweed, the peoples of the plains dried and preserved the meat of the buffalo they depended on. At other times of year, other peoples gathered roots, berries, and the fruits of the cactus, planted and harvested corn, wheat and other crops, and tended orchards of fruit trees. These foodways were essential, not only to the sustenance of Indigenous Peoples, but to the continuity of their cultures. Experience these Indigenous foodways for yourself, through the lens of Edward Curtis’s camera, at Western Spirit.

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