We ceased becoming people and somehow became performers

"Somewhere along the way, we ceased becoming people and somehow became performers in an Aboriginal minstrel show for White North America." (pg 68)
This line from The Truth About Stories by Thomas King has been sitting with me for a while. King’s words speak to something deeper than just the idea of performance—it’s about the loss of personhood, the way Indigenous identities have been commodified and shaped to fit the expectations of the colonial gaze.
In a way, it’s a reflection on the performative nature of how Indigenous people have been forced to represent themselves in spaces taken over and dominated by white supremacy. From the stereotypes perpetuated in media to the ways Indigenous culture has been marketed, we see a pattern where authenticity is erased, and instead, we’re left with a performance of “Indigeneity” that fits into white society’s preconceived notions. King also touches on this idea when he talks about how Indigenous people should look if they want to be an "authentic Indian" or "real Indian". Again, it is the colonial voice telling Indigenous people how to be real in their performance show.

A few years ago I had the pleasure of visiting Hawaii! One day we toured the Polynesian Cultural Center where exclusive Alii Luau and Hā Shows are performed by Indigenous Hawaiian people making it one of Honolulu's top attractions. There you will see authentic Polynesian experiences, tour island villages and end the day with a Luau! I loved my day there, and I thought it was one of our most fun days on vacation. However, after reading that line from King on page 68 it has me thinking differently about my time at the Polynesian Village. Tourists from all over the world come to see Indigenous Hawaiians perform a show - their personhood is lost. The day at the village was about what the tourists wanted to see and experience, shaping their culture and traditions to fit into what pleases the colonial gaze.

It makes me wonder— How does one resist the pressure to perform, and instead, embody the fullness of our humanity without feeling the need to fit into a mold crafted by someone else’s lens? These are tough questions to think about!

I think that when the free-spirit or the pride of one's culture is the driving force behind a performance, then the fullness of our humanity can be achieved and shared honestly; but when the intent of a performance is for greed or enjoyment at the expense of another individual/culture, then the performance becomes deauthenticated.

I’ve been quite torn about this all day. Garrett, your comment about intent pushed me further.

Edward Curtis was funded by JP Morgan in 1886-1901. With this funding, he was able to travel, photograph, and extensively do as he felt necessary with the army of people that he needed. The best writeup and hundreds of primary sources are here at the Smithsonian. https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/NAA.2010-28.pdf

Edward Curtis did ask his subjects to change clothes, make certain poses, and do things they don't normally do. But Why?

JP Morgan is simply massive. They own banks, and investment groups, and control billions of dollars. They settled with the US treasury for almost a billion dollars in fines.https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-vns/case/jpmorgan-chase-co-deferred-prosecution-agreement. They welcome court so much that anyone who wishes to send documents has an easy to find page here including how to reach them in Germany, UK, or any other country where they operate billions of dollars in business: https://privatebank.jpmorgan.com/nam/en/disclosures/legal-disclaimer.

JP Morgan made money from John A Macdonald, The Prime Minister of Canada https://www.jpmorgan.com/CA/en/about-us (Late 19th century milestone) https://www.jpmorganchase.com/about/our-history (owned steel, mining, and railway construction). He was quite interested in getting this railroad built so he can get his country going. Here are his thoughts about Indigenous:
https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/10-quotes-john-a.-macdonald-made-about-first-nations#:~:text=we%20have%20been%20pampering%20and,say%20we%20have%20been%20doing.

"When the school is on the reserve, the child lives with its parents, who are savages, and though he may learn to read and write, his habits and training mode of thought are Indian. He is simply a savage who can read and write." - John A. Macdonald.

Then I found this article that made my life infinitely easier, but also made me want to find more primary sources:
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2020/12/21/opinion/bloody-legacy-canadas-railways-indigenous-peoples

Treaties were signed in 1871-1876 in order for the railway to go through.
The 1880's saw the "pass system" which saw people stuck on the reserve unless they could get a "pass"
Louis Riel was hanged in 1885.

Now you are going to say, Dustin, this is years before Edward started taking pictures. You're right. But WIldfred Laurier announced The Grand Truck Railway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GrandTrunkPacific_Railway in 1905. A railway does not simply be built, and a government does not make knee-jerk reactions. This railway was years in the planning phase.

JP Morgan is a careful businessman. You don't make billions of dollars over a century of business in many countries by being the "lover of all things beautiful" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gWtU7K23Dk (1:47).Here is his museum: https://www.themorgan.org/about/introduction. While it looks like he was a collector, it is as much of a ruse as the music played in the university advertising video we saw at the start. Those collections all built in value. A partial collection of Curtis photographs is now worth 1.44 million (https://www.swanngalleries.com/news/photographs-and-photobooks/2012/10/1-44-million-for-edward-s-curtis-the-north-american-indian/#:~:text=for%20Edward%20S.-,Curtis's%20The%20North%20American%20Indian,house%20for%20works%20on%20paper.).

JP Morgan (and/or his son) knew about the Grand Trunk Railway. He knew because he was one of the few men in Canada who could build it and the insider government workers would undoubtedly have approached him. The government had to plan before being able to announce it. Morgan was reeling from the expensive first railway he build in 1880 and wanted to know what issues he was going to face and how much it was going to cost. So, he hired Edward Curtis, the poor, newlywed, gullible lover of adventure that he was, who could do a bunch of scouting for JP Morgan PLUS provide photographs. These photos shows people living on the land who would have to be bought, moved, or dealt with. When they wear fancier clothes, appear healthier, show no signs of the squaller that Curtis is critisized for not showing, they will be harder to move. JP Morgan would definitley need more government dollars if he had to deal with that. I submit that the setup of these photos no doubt played some role in contract negotiations between Morgan and the government towards the price of the Grand Trunk Railroad.

TL;dr Evil corporation hires a spy to hose a corrupt government out of millions.

I'd like to respond to your initial point made about this 'loss' of the Indigenous being, and how colonialism has driven to make Indigenous people to 'perform' their identity. I think this rhetoric is perpetuated through colonial thinking, practices and is deeply connected to how colonial powers have viewed and represented Indigenous peoples through media and stereotypes. Colonialism places this narrative amongst Indigenous people while perpetuating these stereotypes and harmful narratives through television shows, such as the western movies we discussed in class, while also the action of trying to erase Indigenous history historically, but also up until more recently. While pressing these views, narratives and negative stereotypes onto Indigenous people, we still expect them to naviagte through these views and assert their identity despite colonialism trying to hinder it for thousands of years. The harmful narratives that King speaks on display how oversimplified they are and just how harmful they are to the culture and identity of Indigenous people. These are frameworks (harmful) for how Indigenous people are expected to act, speak and exist in the world, and colonialism's narratives reduce the complexity and diversity of Indigenous cultures to a few fixed negative stereotypes that completely minimize and disregard the lived experiences of Indigenous people.