Darkfeather Ancheta, Eckos Chartraw-Ancheta and Bibiana Ancheta. Project 562 photograph Matika Wilbur 2013 Tribal Affiliation: Tulalip, Washington
Kumu Olelo Ka'eo Izon Tribal Affiliation: Kānaka Maoli - Independent Nation of Hawaii
Kumu Ka'eo, is one of the few teachers who teach in the style of Kealaleo, under Kumu Ipolani Vaughan, a Hawaiian Language Immersion program based in Honolulu, Hawaii. "Kealaleo is uniquely different because it does not use the written word to teach but rather uses Hawaiian in its rawest form, the spoken tongue."
A multi-year photography project dedicated to photographing over 500 federally-recognized tribes in The United States, Project 562 is an unprecedented repository of imagery and oral histories that accurately portray contemporary Native Americans. This creative, consciousness-shifting work will be widely distributed through updated national curricula, artistic publications, exhibitions and online portals. Project 562 will shift the collective consciousness and correct a centuries-long misrepresentation of Native people, boosting community efficacy in Native tribes, inspiring Native youth to reach their full potential, and encouraging a positive vision for each community’s future.
Bahazhoni Tso Tribal Affiliation: Navajo Nation, New Mexico
Bahazhoni (Navajo) is sitting in front of the Holy San Francisco Peaks, near Flagstaff, Arizona. The peaks are part of the Navajo people’s four sacred mountains. With elevations topping 12,000 feet, the peaks are, quite literally, the place where earth meets heaven, and at least thirteen additional tribes also consider them sacred. Bahazhoni sat with her family in peaceful protest to protect the sacred mountain as the City of Flagstaff proposed to use reclaimed water to create man made snow for a ski resort on the mountain, an act that many Navajos feel desecrates their sacred space.
Talon and Sky Duncan, Phoenix Arizona Tribal Affiliation: Apache, Arikara, Mandan and Hidatsa
Talon and Sky are Apache, Arikara, Mandan and Hidatsa world champion hoop dancers. “All of the things that we celebrate and honor can be told through hoop dance,” says brother Tony Duncan, “We make different designs — like an eagle that carries our prayers to the creator. We make a butterfly, which represents love. We make the clouds, which represent the breath of the creator. We make flowers that represent the medicine people and also trees, which provide oxygen.”
Matika Wilbur (Swinomish and Tulalip) is one of the Pacific Northwest’s leading photographers. She grew up in a small fishing community that introduce themselves by saying “I am Stahobes, I am Stahobes, I am Stahobes.” She earned her BFA from Brooks Institute of Photography where she double majored in Advertising and Digital Imaging. Matika believes identifying and promoting positive indigenous role models from this century. For hundreds of years, Natives have called for the authentic stories of their peoples to be told. Those of cultural resiliency, struggles with identity, and the accomplishments of Native heroes. These are the stories that live within Project 562. By exposing the tenacity and richness of contemporary Native life, Project 562 will encourage a global shift in the consciousness toward Native Americans. In November of 2012, Matika left her job, family, and home and began traveling for Project 562, a multi-year national photography project dedicated to photographing all 562 federally recognized tribes (the genesis of the name) in The United States. project562.com