Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America

By Matika Wilbur

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A photographic and narrative celebration of contemporary Native American life and cultures, alongside an in-depth examination of issues that Native people face, by celebrated photographer and storyteller Matika Wilbur of the Swinomish and Tulalip Tribes.

"This book is too important to miss. It is a vast, sprawling look at who we are as Indigenous people in these United States."--Tommy Orange (Cheyenne and Arapaho), author of There There

Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal

In 2012, Matika Wilbur sold everything in her Seattle apartment and set out on a Kickstarter-funded pursuit to visit, engage, and photograph people from what were then the 562 federally recognized Native American Tribal Nations. Over the next decade, she traveled six hundred thousand miles across fifty states--from Seminole country (now known as the Everglades) to Inuit territory (now known as the Bering Sea)--to meet, interview, and photograph hundreds of Indigenous people. The body of work Wilbur created serves to counteract the one-dimensional and archaic stereotypes of Native people in mainstream media and offers justice to the richness, diversity, and lived experiences of Indian Country.

The culmination of this decade-long art and storytelling endeavor, Project 562 is a peerless, sweeping, and moving love letter to Indigenous Americans, containing hundreds of stunning portraits and compelling personal narratives of contemporary Native people--all photographed in clothing, poses, and locations of their choosing. Their narratives touch on personal and cultural identity as well as issues of media representation, sovereignty, faith, family, the protection of sacred sites, subsistence living, traditional knowledge-keeping, land stewardship, language preservation, advocacy, education, the arts, and more.

A vital contribution from an incomparable artist, Project 562 inspires, educates, and truly changes the way we see Native America.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1984859528
• ISBN13: 9781984859525
• Release Date: April 2023
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 4.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 10.2" x 10.1"

Customer Reviews

Photo talk on Native Americans

Matika Wilbur takes up this mighty project to tour and cover the 562 natives tribes to capture their images and their own talk. It is an enjoyable reading documentary with her to understand and appreciate the first people of Turtle Island. History showed how they were treated by the Spanish and Americans. They come back strong as warrior to tell their story. On page 4: the only thing an American Indian has ever known is termination, relocation and assimilation. Page 254 shows the picture of Horseshoe Bend, the land belongs to Zuni, Ute, Hopi and Dine peoples who were displaced by the US government to make way for the national park. It is fun to see Kaeo Izon, a young man with arm tattoo with a Chinese word, dance. This book tells their own story It is an enjoyable reading to learn and respect the First peoples of Turtle Island.