Renowned Native American photographer discusses culture with students

Matika Wilbur, one of the Pacific Northwest’s leading photographers, gave a packed room of Liberty University students an insightful look into the culture and struggles of Native Americans on Thursday night in the Center for Multicultural Enrichment’s new space in the Montview Student Union.

Wilbur, a Native American of the Swinomish and Tulalip Tribes of Washington, is a renowned photographer and TED Talk speaker. Her work has been exhibited in regional, national, and international venues, including the Seattle Art Museum, the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, the Tacoma Art Museum, the Royal British Columbia Museum of Fine Arts, and the Nantes Museum of Fine Arts in France.

Thursday’s event was part of the Center for Multicultural Enrichment’s monthly Deliberate Dialogue series.

With a mosaic of her work displayed on a projector, Wilbur recounted her journey around the U.S. documenting over 40 Native American tribes in thousands of photographs. She emphasized how important land and the Earth mean to natives and their culture.

She described some of the traditions of the various tribes she’s visited. Utilizing the power of media, through photographs, video, and even a traditional Native American song she relayed the emotion and pride Native Americans have for their history.

Wilbur described her recent undertaking, Project 562, where she is gathering original photographic images and oral narratives from all of the tribal communities across the United States, organizing and presenting portraits and stories from each culture.

“My goal is to represent native people from every tribe,” Wilbur said. “By exposing the astonishing variety of the Indian presence and reality at this juncture, we will build cultural bridges, abandon stereotypes, and renew and inspire our national legacy.”

Wilbur said she hopes the project will result in books, documentaries, websites, and a full curriculum on native tribes in schools across the nation, something she said is lacking in the U.S. The project seeks to successfully educate the U.S. on the cultural differences of Native Americans and break the divide between American culture and native culture.

“In textbooks, it always gets written from the victor’s perspective,” Wilbur said. “If we only study textbooks, how do we learn about perspective?”

Wilbur also shared her involvement with the native rights movement, which recently included participating in protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota. She invited students to be involved with fighting for Native American rights, urging them to use social media and their future careers to create awareness.

After the speech, Wilbur spent time interacting with students and answering questions.

“It was an eye-opening speech,” senior Mariah Rexach said. “It meant for us, as Christians, to be more loving and aware about the things that are happening and what Native Americans are going through.”

Junior Zera Ntahonirukiye agreed that the event “was very special.”

“I was emotional and upset because no one notices these injustices toward Native Americans, it’s not on the news.”

The Center for Multicultural Enrichment seeks to unify the various cultural and ethnic populations on campus and serves as an advocate to minority students. The center hosts a wide range of programs that celebrate cultural diversity and offer students experiential learning opportunities.