In A Sacred Manner We Live
Photographs by Edward S. Curtis
Text by Don D. Fowler
Barre Publishing, 1972, 152 pages
ISBN 0-517-517353

Edward Curtis spent 25 years in the early 20th century photographing the Indians of western North America in an attempt to record what remained of their native culture before it disappeared entirely. This resulted in the publication of the 20-volume work, The North American Indian, one of the most monumental anthropological works ever created.

This book reprints a wide selection of his photographs, organized by geographical region (The Plains, The Southwest, etc.). Each region includes a brief introduction describing the Indian tribes that lived in that region, their history, and their situation at the time that Curtis photographed them.

There is also a longer (seven pages) biography of Edward Curtis that curiously omits the less pleasant aspects of his life: the problems he had in securing financing and the personal troubles he endured.

The photos are printed in a sepia ink on cream paper, which gives them a distinct vintage appearance. Unfortunately, many of the photos are printed quite dark, with loss of shadow detail and an overall dull look. In some portraits you can barely make out any facial features at all. I'm not sure if this is a printing problem, or if the original prints actually looked like this, but other reproductions of Curtis' work that I have seen are usually brighter and have better contrast.

Overall, I think this book is a reasonable introduction to the work of Edward Curtis, despite its issues.