Developing Stories: Native Photographers in the Field

Developing Stories: Native Photographers in the Field features photo essays by Native photojournalists Donovan Quintero, Tailyr Irvine, and Russel Albert Daniels. Each photographer explores an issue that is of deep personal interest and that touches the lives of Native people in a specific community.

Quintero’s essay reveals how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the Navajo Nation, capturing how individuals, families, healthcare workers, and officials have responded to the pandemic. Irvine’s essay delves into the legacy of US government regulations impacting Native Americans’ most personal decisions, including with whom they have children. Daniels’ essay explores the historical complexities shaping a 266-year-old Indigenous/Hispanic community’s sense of self and genesis in violence, slavery, and survival. These works provide insights into contemporary Native life and nuanced perspectives on an American experience that is largely invisible to mainstream society.