18 October 2023
A box of old photos has led to a new exhibit opening Saturday at the Minnesota History Center.
Here are a few things to know about “Reframing Our Stories.”
A box of photos
Photos of Native American dancers are displayed in an exhibition at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
The Minnesota Historical Society’s collections include many donated photos taken by local journalists from mainstream media through the years.
“We received a box of photos,” says Jacob Bernier, program and outreach specialist with the Native American Initiatives Department at the Minnesota Historical Society and a Red River Metis and French descendant.
“Within that box are a few folders just labeled, ‘Indians.’”
The contact sheets and prints within those folders included photos taken by local journalists from the 1950s through the 1990s, part of a larger donation from the Star Tribune (the Pioneer Press also donates photos and other materials).
“One of the folks in Archives said, ‘Hey, take a look at these.’ So we did, and there’s roughly 160-ish photos of different events going on around the Twin Cities with Native people. And so what we decided to do was reframe those stories and how they were depicted.”
This time, Native people are leading the storytelling.
“It was a collaborative effort with my whole department, and community members, and of course the exhibits team here at MNHS,” Bernier says.
Stories, reframed
The caption of a 1963 photo has been updated to remove outdated cultural stereotypes in a photo exhibition at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. The exhibit features photos of Native Americans taken by Twin Cities photojournalists from the 1950s through the 1990s. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
The photos were enlarged and displayed in a room that is a new addition to a larger exhibit: “Our Home: Native Minnesota.”
Displayed on the walls, the photos illustrate people living their lives: spending time with family and friends; working and community organizing, playing sports and going to school.
In a photo taken in 1971, for instance, students from Vineland Elementary School on the Mille Lacs Reservation appear to be on a field trip in Minneapolis, talking and laughing with students from a city elementary school as they ride together in a vehicle, on their way to Dairy Queen.
The image documents a seemingly lighthearted moment for the children, but the text panel, quoting from the accompanying article, illustrates another story:
“A group of about 20 students,” the article stated, “found out Wednesday that reservation Indians are not just something to read about in books or to stare at while on a field trip.”
“A lot of the language used and rhetoric are not what we would use today,” Bernier says.
The text panel reframes that 1970s messaging:
“The harmful stereotype reported here still persists. We all have stories about those who perpetually believe that Native people are a forgotten spectacle, rather than a vibrant community.”
Then and now
An update on Bonnie Wallace, at right, accompanies photos of her published in the late 1970s, as part of a photo exhibition at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
In some cases, staff was able to reach the photo subjects. That includes Bonnie Wallace, who was photographed in her office at Augsburg University, and in her home in south Minneapolis, for an article on “Urban Indians” in 1979.
Wallace created American Indian Student Services at Augsburg and served as program director from 1978 to 1996, according to the exhibit; she was also involved with the American Indian Movement and many community organizing activities for Native rights.
Now living back home on the Fond du Lac Reservation, Wallace — who was photographed for this exhibit — was asked how she endured.
Her response is recorded on the text panel: “She said she didn’t have a choice. She had to do all she did, so other Native women would not face the barriers she encountered.”
The power of a circle
Jacob Bernier, Program and Outreach Specialist with the Native American Initiatives Department at the Minnesota History Center, talks about the new Native American photo exhibition he helped curate at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
In the center of the room, the focal point is a low-slung circular wooden table and several chairs. It looks like a comfortable place to sit and talk, but its meaning goes deeper than comfort.
“These are powwow chairs,” Bernier says. “In most Native communities, a circle represents equity — that way, no one’s back is facing each other.”
The table, designed by Shelly Campbell, complements other key elements in the room.
“We worked with a Native artist, Lucie Skjefte, who did all of our graphics for us — the motifs on the walls but also on the text panels themselves,” Bernier says.
Opening celebration
The exhibit kicks off with an opening celebration from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21.
Hosted by the Native American Initiatives department of the Minnesota Historical Society, it will feature community speakers, music and a reception.
Beyond opening weekend, Bernier says, the plan is to use the space for gatherings and events. Staff is also hoping the public can help identify more people featured in these photos.
If you think you can help, please email the Native American Initiatives Team at [email protected].
‘Reframing Our Stories’
What: As part of the “Our Home: Native Minnesota” exhibit, “Reframing Our Stories” is a new addition that, through photographs, showcases the strength and resilience of Native people and inspires audiences to learn about the past, present and future of these communities.
When: The exhibit opens Saturday, Oct. 21, and runs through Oct. 31, 2025. Opening celebration: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday with community speakers, music and a reception.
Where: Minnesota History Center, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul.
Admission: General admission to the museum includes access to this exhibition. The opening celebration and the exhibit are free to Native community members as well as members of the Minnesota Historical Society.
Info: Mnhs.org
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