Des portraits agissants, pratiques et manipulations photographiques de Jean LaMarr et Hulleah J. Tsinhnahjinnie

Abstract

If, in its early days, photography was used as one of the tools of colonialism, durably propagating numerous stereotypes about Native American people, it has also become a vehicle for emancipation and reparation. In this context, photographic portraits can be described as displaying agency, encouraging the process of subjectification, offering counter-hegemonic imagery as well as empowering multiple identifications. Through their photographic practices and manipulations, Jean LaMarr (b. 1945, Pit River/Paiute) and Hulleah J. Tsinhnahjinnie (b. 1954, Seminole/Muscogee/Diné) create imagery antagonistic to myths, showing multifaceted and complex identities. Based on a selection of their works and the cultural, historical and political context of these productions, this article examines the self-determining potential of photographic portraiture.

Keywords

• photography
• portrait
• Native American