Horace Poolaw facts for kids
Horace Poolaw (1906–1984) was a famous Kiowa photographer. He was from Mountain View, Oklahoma. He was one of the first professional Native American photographers.
Who Was Horace Poolaw?
Horace Poolaw, also known as Py-bo, was born on March 13, 1906. His hometown was Mountain View, Oklahoma. He was a very important Kiowa photographer. His father, Gui po-lau (Kiowa George), was a tribal historian. Horace was the fifth of seven children. His family was highly respected in their community.
How Did He Start Photography?
Horace became interested in photography early. He had two apprenticeships with local photographers around age twelve. He got his first camera when he was fifteen. He sold his photos as inexpensive postcards. He also worked many other jobs.
His Family Life
In the mid-1920s, he married Rhoda Redhord. They had a son named Jerry. In 1943, he joined the U.S. Army Air Forces. He taught aerial photography in Florida. He left the army in 1945. Later, he moved to Anadarko, Oklahoma. There, he married Winne Chisholm. They had three children: Robert, Linda, and Bryce. A car accident in 1957 stopped him from working other jobs. But he kept taking photos until the 1970s. His eyesight then made it impossible. He passed away in 1984.
Horace Poolaw's Photography Career
Horace Poolaw took photos during a time of big changes for Native Americans. He was able to show these changes from inside his Kiowa community. His photos were very different from those taken by non-Native photographers. For example, Edward S. Curtis often showed Native Americans as a "vanishing race." These photos made it seem like Native cultures could not change.
What Made His Photos Different?
Poolaw's photos showed the daily life of Native people. Many of his early pictures were portraits. He photographed his family, friends, and Kiowa leaders. He sold some of his photos as postcards. Both Kiowa people and tourists bought them. These postcards sometimes showed Native people in "traditional" clothing. They were often outdoors. This was similar to how non-Native photographers showed them.
However, Poolaw knew how photos could create stereotypes. Many of his portraits challenged these ideas. He showed Native people as part of modern America. They were also proud of their Native culture.
Capturing Community Events
Poolaw took photos at Indian fairs. He was sometimes an official photographer. Other times, he was just a visitor. His pictures showed Native Americans as modern. They also celebrated their culture. For example, he photographed Indian Princesses. They wore traditional clothes. But they sat on cars or near telephone wires. This showed a mix of old and new.
Poolaw also showed the impact of American Indian boarding schools. These schools tried to make Native children forget their culture. Poolaw's family said he didn't want to be remembered for his photos. He wanted his photos to help his people remember themselves.
Native American Policies During Poolaw's Life
Poolaw took photos during four main periods of policy changes for Native Americans. These were Assimilation, Reorganization, Termination, and Self-determination. He was good at seeing important events as they happened.
Assimilation and Its Impact
Poolaw was born during the assimilation period. This was when the government tried to make Native Americans adopt settler culture. The Dawes Act divided tribal lands. Other policies created government-run Indian boarding schools. They also made some traditional religious practices illegal. The idea was that Native American culture would disappear. Poolaw's photos proved these ideas wrong. They showed Native communities as strong and lively.
Reorganization and Cultural Revival
The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 changed things. Federal policies began to support Native self-government. They also helped cultural traditions come back. Native people could now practice their religion and dances openly. By the 1930s, peyotism and powwows were important in Kiowa life. Tribal leaders took charge of Indian fairs. These fairs became places to celebrate dances and help the economy. Poolaw photographed many of these events in Oklahoma.
Termination and Self-Determination
Federal support for Native culture ended in the mid-1940s. This was with the "termination" policy. This policy tried to break up Native reservations. It also tried to take away tribal governments. But Poolaw's photos still showed his community as strong. They were deeply connected to Kiowa ways of life. The last ten years of Poolaw's career were during the self-determination period. This policy shift allowed tribal governments to have more power. It moved away from forced assimilation. Poolaw's photos showed how these policy changes affected Native people. He documented their complex and continuing identity.
Horace Poolaw's Legacy
Horace Poolaw's daughter, Linda, helped share his photos after he died in 1984. She arranged for them to be printed, organized, and shown. His photos show how cultures mixed. They also show how family life, work, and fun changed. An exhibit called "War Bonnets, Tin Lizzies and Patent Leather Pumps: Kiowa Culture in Transition 1925-1955" traveled across the country in the early 1990s. A documentary video was also made about it.
Working with the Community
Linda Poolaw and Charles Junkerman led a special project. Students helped print all the photo negatives. They also researched the people in the photos. They helped choose photos for an exhibit at Stanford University. Linda Poolaw and her students visited Anadarko, Oklahoma, three times. They asked Kiowa elders for help. The elders identified people and events in the photos. This process of remembering brought different Kiowa generations together. Younger people saw photos of their parents or grandparents.
Horace Poolaw wanted his people to be remembered for who they were. He showed how the Kiowa culture was changing. His pictures show the truth. Poolaw did a great service by capturing this cultural change from a Native perspective.
Exhibits Featuring Poolaw's Work
Poolaw's work has been shown in important exhibits.
Spirit Capture Exhibit
The exhibit Spirit Capture: Native Americans and the Photographic Image featured Poolaw's work. It was shown at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York in 2002. This exhibit helped people understand the history of Native Americans through photos. Poolaw once said he didn't want to be remembered for his photos. He wanted his people to be remembered through them. This idea was important for the exhibit.
For a Love of His People Exhibit
Another exhibit, For a Love of His People: The Photography of Horace Poolaw, was at the National Museum of the American Indian George Gustav Heye Center in New York City. It was on display from August 9, 2014, to February 15, 2015. This exhibit focused on Horace Poolaw as a man of his community and time. It showed 81 black and white photos and 10 old postcards. It also displayed Poolaw's 1940s Graflex Speed Graphic camera. The exhibit's catalog has over 150 of Poolaw's photos. It also includes 16 essays by experts and family members.
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