Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian Project in the Field

Explanatory Notes

Explanatory Notes: On Dates, Omissions, and Tribal Names In the headings for the writings reproduced here, the first date given is the year of composition; any uncertainty about the date is signaled by c. for circa. When a second date appears in parentheses it indicates the year in which the events described took place; again, any uncertainty is signaled by c. for circa. The headnote usually offers a full elucidation of the nature of the document following, including any uncertainties about its status—such as the context in which it was written, the biographical circumstances that might have affected it, and, where relevant, any previous publication history. The headnotes are not uniform in length or format, mainly because some of the records selected here simply need longer, more complex or more detailed introductions. Also, wherever possible I have used the headnotes and linking passages to construct a narrative sequence between documents. In the documents themselves any omissions are indicated by ellipses. For the most part, material has been omitted only because I have judged it repetitious, extraneous, or unnecessary to the matter at hand, and for these ommissions no explanation is offered. Where material of some substance has been omitted—for reasons of space, availability in the same or similar form elsewhere, or the like—its nature is outlined in the headnote or in an endnote. The names of the various peoples and tribes used here are those current during the project’s era and, therefore, the ones typically used by Curtis and his associates. Almostallof themarestillusedoratleastunderstoodtoday.Ininstanceswherethese names are potentially confusing, or now outmoded or considered disrespectful, the preferred current term, with a note of explanation, is used. xiii Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian Project in the Field ...