Stunning photos of people from every Native American tribe

Advertisement

ring

Courtesy Matika Wilbur

Matika Wilbur takes intimate portraits of Native people across America.

Advertisement

The INSIDER Summary:

• Matika Wilbur is photograping members of every federally recognized Native American tribe.
• She asks people about themselves and their identies and records their answers for an archive.
• Wilbur feels that narrative and representation are especially important for Native Americans, whose stories are often misunderstood.


Photographer Matika Wilbur is on a mission to photograph members of every federally recognized Native tribe in North America.

Advertisement

Wilbur herself is Swinomish and Tulalip. Ever since she sold her Seattle apartment and hit the road in 2012, she's been collaborating with Native people and documenting their stories for Project 562 (though there are now 566 federally recognized tribes).

What began as a photo series has become an archive rich with history, culture, language, and resilience. Over 300,000 miles and 400 tribes in, she's not done yet.