Below is an image of a meeting of declaration for the recognition as Native American reservations as sovereign territories.
This image shows a meeting that was called in order to discuss making laws about Native American lands and declaring them as sovereign territories. The meeting took at an annual convention in San Diego California. The years covered by the NCAI mostly cover the years 1944-1990.
The meeting was hosted by the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), which was formed back in 1944. The organization is the oldest known organization that deals with Native American issues in the US. The organization has several documents describing their work, especially in Washington DC. The documents also archive other issues faced by Native American peoples in the early twentieth century as well. The material is primarily made up of accounts of lobbying or even meetings between the NCAI and bodies within the US government. These include letters, transcripts of meetings, programs that were hosted and started by the NCAI, newspaper clippings and so on. Notable names that appeared include Vine Deloria, Suzan Shown Harjo, Mel Tonasket among others.
The image itself was uncovered through the National Museum of the American Indian website and was found within the NCAI records. It was also mentioned to have involved a well known situation in terms of Native American peoples. This was the issue of blood quantum. While it didn’t offer a solution to the problem at the time, people with supposed Native American blood could join as both individuals and groups. However, this was within the years 1944 – 1948, the policy was changed starting during the year 1955 in order to allow for the organization to only allow recognized tribes and bands to be given membership of the NCAI. The new policy also gave leadership of the NCAI to tribal governments rather than individuals. This shows the reflective change over how the NCAI functioned as an organization and it’s strategies within recognition for Native American peoples. There were also efforts to get Alaska Natives (i.e., Tlingit, Haida, Inupiat etc), along with the enfranchisement of Native American peoples in both Arizona and New Mexico.
The image itself was uncovered through the National Museum of the American Indian website and was found within the NCAI records. It was also mentioned to have involved a well known situation in terms of Native American peoples. This was the issue of blood quantum. While it didn’t offer a solution to the problem at the time, people with supposed Native American blood could join as both individuals and groups. However, this was within the years 1944 – 1948, the policy was changed starting during the year 1955 in order to allow for the organization to only allow recognized tribes and bands to be given membership of the NCAI. The new policy also gave leadership of the NCAI to tribal governments rather than individuals. This shows the reflective change over how the NCAI functioned as an organization and it’s strategies within recognition for Native American peoples. There were also efforts to get Alaska Natives (i.e., Tlingit, Haida, Inupiat etc), along with the enfranchisement of Native American peoples in both Arizona and New Mexico.
The image itself was uncovered through the National Museum of the American Indian website and was found within the NCAI records. It was also mentioned to have involved a well known situation in terms of Native American peoples. This was the issue of blood quantum. While it didn’t offer a solution to the problem at the time, people with supposed Native American blood could join as both individuals and groups. However, this was within the years 1944 – 1948, the policy was changed starting during the year 1955 in order to allow for the organization to only allow recognized tribes and bands to be given membership of the NCAI. The new policy also gave leadership of the NCAI to tribal governments rather than individuals. This shows the reflective change over how the NCAI functioned as an organization and it’s strategies within recognition for Native American peoples. There were also efforts to get Alaska Natives (i.e., Tlingit, Haida, Inupiat etc), along with the enfranchisement of Native American peoples in both Arizona and New Mexico.
The image itself was uncovered through the National Museum of the American Indian website and was found within the NCAI records. It was also mentioned to have involved a well known situation in terms of Native American peoples. This was the issue of blood quantum. While it didn’t offer a solution to the problem at the time, people with supposed Native American blood could join as both individuals and groups. However, this was within the years 1944 – 1948, the policy was changed starting during the year 1955 in order to allow for the organization to only allow recognized tribes and bands to be given membership of the NCAI. The new policy also gave leadership of the NCAI to tribal governments rather than individuals. This shows the reflective change over how the NCAI functioned as an organization and it’s strategies within recognition for Native American peoples. There were also efforts to get Alaska Natives (i.e., Tlingit, Haida, Inupiat etc), along with the enfranchisement of Native American peoples in both Arizona and New Mexico. Even then, there were also other changes made to the NCAI as well. One of these changes involved renaming the NCAI’s money gathering organization to Arrow Inc. However, Arrow Inc soon broke off from the NCAI to become a separate organization.
In conclusion, this is an important picture when it comes to Native American peoples and the ways in which their history is studied by academics. It would be important to study where this picture came from in terms of it’s backstory. This is especially important when discussing how this was taken at a meeting of the NCAI that was historically known for wanting to recognize Native American peoples as sovereign territories. When we look at images such as this, one should make a point of acknowledging where this came from. Considering how it was located within an archive started by a Native American based organization which described the organization’s beginnings, it would be beneficial to people who are just starting to learn about the NCAI.
Tony– This is a very interesting photograph that reveals so much about a critical period for Federal Indian Policy in the twentieth century. I have always been very interested in the history of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and their role in shaping laws and policies for Indigenous people. Photographs are wonderful historical sources because they can tell us a lot about a specific moment in time, as well as how the photographer chose to frame the subjects/settings of the photo.
For people who work in museums and archives, it can be challenging to write these labels and make decisions about what to include (or exclude) from them. I didn’t have the chance to discuss the reasoning in class, but there is an entire science behind having a concise object label. There is an awesome book by Beverly Serrell called “Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach” (https://www.amazon.com/Exhibit-Labels-Interpretive-Beverly-Serrell/dp/144224903X) that explains best practices in exhibit/object labels in museum/archival settings. I recommend checking it out if you’re interested in learning more about these types of labels!