Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the intersections of photographic images, family history, colonialism, and Ho-Chunk survivance through an examination of historic images of Ho-Chunk tribal members taken by Charles Van Schaick between 1879-1942.

Paper long abstract:

This presentation will explore the importance of the Charles Van Schaick photographs and the representation of Ho-Chunk families in this unique and rich collection of 1,000 images of Ho-Chunk tribal citizens currently housed at the Wisconsin Historical Society. The photographs taken by Van Schaick are an invaluable visual legacy for Ho-Chunk people, and I will place these photographs in historical and cultural context. Beginning with the recognition of the sentiment expressed by Native American photographer, Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie, who argues that, "one cannot understand the images until you understand the history," my lecture will provide an overview of Ho-Chunk history with particular attention given to the mid 19th century forced removal and assimilation era policies that were in place when a majority of the images were taken. Van Schaick's work differs greatly from other photographers of this period, most notably Edward Curtis, who sought to capture images of a "vanishing race" for ethnographic and commercial purposes. Van Schaick's images are important as Ho-Chunk families themselves commissioned photographs for their own personal use. Today these 1,000 photographs are powerful representations of family history and cultural survival during a time period that is poorly represented in the scholarly record. The stories the images convey of the importance of kinship, place, memory, ongoing colonialism, and survivance are the central themes of the Ho-Chunk experience in the late 19th/early 20th century, and my presentation will address these intersecting themes through an analysis of a diverse range of images within the collection.