Pride and Dignity: Aboriginal Portraits - Exhibitions - Library and Archives Canada
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Pride and Dignity
  Excerpts   Luminance   inter/SECTION
from the Exhibition Aboriginal photographic
portraits (Article by Jeff Thomas)
An exhibition by Jeff Thomas at the Indian Art Centre

 

Pride and Dignity is an exhibition of over 60 photographic reproductions (c.1846 - c.1960) taken from the original exhibition Aboriginal Portraits from the National Archives of Canada produced by Edward Tompkins and Jeff Thomas, guest curator, and exhibited at the National Archives during the spring and summer of 1996.

This exhibition is designed to break down some of the common stereotypes surrounding Aboriginal society. An important aspect of this process is revealing the humanity of the people in these portraits. Outdated descriptive words (squaw, papoose, half-breed, Eskimo) have been changed to include more appropriate and descriptive words. The original inscriptions provide an important comparison for the researcher and viewer.