I was introduced to the Nimiipuu, a Native American people, through a friend and after joining the Tamkaliks Powwow in Wallowa, Oregon, was invited to the Lapwai, Idaho, and Nespelem, Washington, Native American reservations, where I was introduced to the families that lived there. While I was there, I spent extended time with the elders in their sweat lodge – one of the tribe’s most traditional and spiritual activities – gaining their trust and learning their ways.
For four years I lived with the Nez Perce Tribe. I was shown a new way to walk and breathe. An ancient wisdom lived through spirit, a journey given to me. Between 2004 and 2008 I was traveling back and forth at different periods of time, shooting, printing and editing the imagery.
I…