Project 562

by Matika Wilbur

First published 2023

Photographer Matika Wilbur of the Swinomish and Tulalip Tribes documents contemporary Native American life through portraits and personal stories. In 2012, she sold her possessions and launched a Kickstarter campaign to visit all 562 federally recognized tribal nations. Over ten years, she traveled 600,000 miles across fifty states, from Seminole territory in the Everglades to Inuit lands near the Bering Sea. She photographed hundreds of Indigenous people in clothing and locations they chose themselves. Their stories explore identity, sovereignty, family, sacred site protection, language preservation, traditional knowledge, and land stewardship. This New York Times bestseller challenges stereotypes about Native people in mainstream media. The work presents the diversity and richness of Indian Country through authentic voices and stunning visual portraits that reveal the complexity of modern Indigenous experiences.

Genres: biography, art, american, anthropology, 21st-century, native-american, cultural, activism

Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking

Tropes: authentic-voices, challenging-stereotypes, personal-stories

Setting: Bering Sea, Everglades, Seminole Territory

Period: 2012, 2022

416 pages · Hardcover · Ten Speed Press

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