Edward Curtis Satirical Series, 1998 to 2009

Edward Curtisʼ magnum opus “The Vanishing Race” decades long
project was/is so intertwined with the cultural baggage of Manifest Destiny that it is impossible to separate them. Curtis was convinced that the Indigenous people of the Americas were destined to be vanished, hence the title of his largest body of work. McNeil changed Curtisʼ nucleus photograph “The Vanishing Race” to “First Light, Winter Solstice.”
Instead of being about soon having no Indigenous people, it was
changed to celebrating lively Indigenous ceremonies. We Indigenous people donʼt need a foreigner telling our story, especially if all he can see is doomsday and we see beauty and even humor in our lives and
struggles. As Tonto said to Edward Curtis, “Your ‘Vanishing Indianʼ paradigm just doesn’t fit our Native Epistemology. Here is to deconstructionist theories…” Tonto punches Edward Curtis
and the subheading reads, “Tonto gives Edward Curtis a
lesson in Native Values”