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Curating and Controlling Zuni Photographic Images
Author(s) -
Holman Nigel
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
curator: the museum journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.312
H-Index - 8
eISSN - 2151-6952
pISSN - 0011-3069
DOI - 10.1111/j.2151-6952.1996.tb01083.x
Subject(s) - photography , context (archaeology) , politics , control (management) , sociology , history , visual arts , law , art , political science , archaeology , computer science , artificial intelligence
This article explores the history of photography in Zuni and provides a context for the forthcoming request from Zuni religious leaders that they be allowed to exercise some control over sensitive images held by museums. This request is part of the debate over whether Native Americans should exercise some degree of control over historic photographs of their religious ceremonies. Some Zuni community members always considered photography of religious ceremonies to be inappropriate. How it happened sheds light on how Zunis incorporated the then‐new technology into their traditional beliefs and social organization. Similarly, existing museum policy toward sensitive images is a result of the way photography has been incorporated into European and American legal and ethical thinking. In addition to lending weight to the contention that forthcoming requests from Native Americans are based on long‐held beliefs rather than simply contemporary political expediency, history also suggests the parameters for an equitable solution to this issue.