Native Light: Portraits of Native America

"The Native Light project began many years ago on a vast plain just south of Santa Fe. Anthony, a champion Omaha Pow Wow dancer, walked into the tall grass in his most beautiful regalia. The sun was low on the horizon and the light was turning everything a beautiful shade of pale luminous orange. A friend’s hybrid wolf wandered into the scene and, with release the shutter, forever became a part of a miraculous moment captured through the camera lens. As Chief Dan George aptly observes in the film Little Big Man, “Sometimes the magic works, sometimes it doesn’t.” This time, the magic worked." - Craig Varjabedian

Photographer Craig Varjabedian collaborates with Native Americans to celebrate their traditions and their past with the Native Light project. Through authentic photographic portraits Native Light presents the stories of Native Americans who strongly connect with their vibrant past, thrive in a modern world and sow seeds for a better future

Through exhibitions and book publication, Native Light will contribute to a meaningful dialogue on the preservation of Native American cultural heritage and the importance of respecting all indigenous cultures.

Native Light is a sponsored project of FRACTURED ATLAS, a highly-respected and recognized non-profit 501c3 arts service organization. All of the contributions we receive go directly towards completing the photography and providing an honoraria to subjects. 

Through authentic photographic portraits, Native Light amplifies the stories of Native Americans who strongly connect with their vibrant past, thrive in a modern world, and sow seeds for a better future. 

 “These beautiful photographs individually bear witness to subjects’ personal cultural identity, and in that service can stand alone. Together, the photographs with the stories as a curated exhibition and book, will tell a larger, diverse story of families, pueblos, nations and tribes across the American West re-asserting ancient cultural identities.

The greatest impact of this project lies in the collaborative approach to each photo-partnering subject and artist-that shifts that power paradigm of the traditional visual representation of Native American people in American art, updating outmoded ideas about Native cultural identity and representation.”  writes Marquel Musgrave, Tewa, Nambé Owingeh.

Thank you!