A GESTURE OF KINSHIP
To live among the Navajo is to live in a world woven of layered images that reflect the contradictions and harmonies of a people trying to maintain cultural and personal identity while forces of the dominant society seek to erode what it means to be Navajo.
As a non-Indian photographer, I've attempted to portray my thoughts towards the constantly changing world of the Navajo with respect, dignity and a bit of humor.
I am not completely at ease in this culture. It is not my own. At times all that is landscape here -- the rock, the overwhelming sky, spirits, the current of language, the pattern of culture -- becomes too much. This is a place of raw strength and there is no hiding. The power of living in this kind of place is that experience is very clean.
This is a place you take with you when you go. Navajo children trap you with their
eyes and spirit. A smile and a laugh, the primary mood of Navajo children There
is a good feeling here, and other moods as well. I have tried to see the underside
of things.
Looking back at my entry into this community I have to chuckle. I came to Montezuma Creek steeped in landscape. The land, without the people, was of great value to me. But here I befriended and worked with people who were the land, and I was to find that there was much in that relationship to learn from and add to my own life -- there is a spirit and movement in everything. I stand in relationship to all of nature, reciprocity, laughter is healing.
My photographs
are not about Navajo culture. I view them as expressions of my thoughts and personal
relationships. These photographs were not done on visits, but were made when I
came home to be among friends.
-- Bruce Hucko
Bruce Hucko is a freelance photographer, writer and children's art coach living in Moab. He lived and worked in Montezuma Creek, Navajo Nation, Utah for 10 years and has photographed the Navajo for 20 years. A Gesture of Friendship is his B/W portfolio from this time.
To Zephyr Main Page October-November
1998