Indian Relay with Steve Mann
Indian Relay with Steve Mann and special guest Tyson Sampson
Join us via Zoom Wednesday, August 23rd, at 7 pm EDT
With an immense amount of sensitivity and respect, Steve Mann has been celebrating and photographing indigenous communities for over 20 years including producing We Won’t Bow Down, a documentary featuring the culture of Mardi Gras Indians.
His newest photography exhibition Indian Relay, was photographed at the 2022 Sheridan Wyoming Rodeo World Championship Indian Relay Race. The photographs feature teams from the northern plains nations such as Crow, Blackfeet, Oglala Sioux, and Northern Cheyenne. Sometimes called America’s first extreme sport, Indian Relay can appear to be organized chaos. The riders jump off the first horse often while still at a full gallop and mount the next one while still running. Sometimes they don’t even touch the ground. The level of athleticism and horsemanship is simply stunning. For the participants, this event is not based on dominating an animal as in many other rodeo events but rather an intense cooperation and spiritual connection with the horses.
Steve will be joined by Tyson Sampson (they/them/he/him) an Eastern Band Cherokee Indian (ᎠᏳᏫᏯ ᎨᏯᏔᎯᎤᏁᏉᎳᏗᏍᎩ). Tyson has a background in the healing arts and communications. In their multi-faceted contributions, they have worked on everything from documenting endangered language to sharing wild food practices and cultural sensibilities about Cherokee cuisine.
During this open and unscripted conversation, Steve and Tyson will be exploring questions of respectful photographic engagement and representation. Together, we will be considering new ways to decolonize our own photography practice.
Steve Mann is a native of Asheville received his bachelor’s degree in photography and art history from the University of Arizona (cum laude) in 1992. From 1985 to 1987, he majored in cultural geography and African studies at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. His work has been exhibited coast to coast, starting in 1983.
Tyson Sampson is a two-hearted and two-spirited individual who descended from the local indigenous matriarchy called the ᎠᏂᎩᎶᎯ (A-ni-gi-lo-hi). Their home is referred to as The Beautiful Painted Earth. Their family is based in the aboriginal territory most commonly known as the Great Smoky Mountainsides.
Currently, Tyson is cultivating an apothecary for ethnobotanical accessibility, called Bigwitch Botanicals. They are also developing a broader collective to support traditional ecological knowledge for their tribesfolk, called the Oconaluftee Wisdom Initiative. They have contributed to efforts for residents of the Qualla Indian Boundary to have more intimate and legally protective relationships to plants/wild foods in this indigenous bio-region.
