The People in the Pictures

At the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, archivists are working with Native communities to correct the historical record … one photo at a time.

In this episode, we go inside the archives, where century-old photographs once labeled “Indian man” or “woman in costume” are being reexamined and renamed so they can be reconnected to living descendants. It’s a painstaking effort that’s also challenging the romanticized imagery popularized by photographers and anthropologists of the late 1800s, early 1900s. 

Think there might be photos of your ancestors in the Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives? Check here: https://sova.si.edu/

You can read about the Smithsonian's Ethical Returns and Shared Stewardship Policy here: https://ncp.si.edu/SI-ethical-returns

To submit a shared stewardship or ethical return inquiry or request, complete this form: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7447374/Shared-Stewardship-and-Ethical-Returns-Inquiry-Request-Submission-Form 

If you have questions about the policy, contact nmai-sser@si.edu.

Guests: 

Emily Moazami, head archivist at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) Archive Center

Nathan Sowry, reference archivist at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) Archive Center

Rachel Menyuk, processing archivist at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) Archive Center

Special thanks to the Harmon Family:

Leonard Harmon, Pam Pierce Harmon Johnston, Mike Harmon and Matthew Harmon