Zig Jackson (born January 16, 1957) is a Native American ( Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara) photographer.

Early life and education

Jackson was born on the

Fort Berthold Indian Reservation The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation is a U.S. Indian reservation in western North Dakota that is home for the federally recognized Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes. The reservation includes lands on ...

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

on January 16, 1957. He is an enrolled member of the

Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation The Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation), also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan language, Mandan: ''Miiti Naamni''; Hidatsa language, Hidatsa: ''Awadi Aguraawi''; Arikara language, Arikara: ''ačitaanu' táWIt''), is a fede ...

. Jackson completed his primary education at

St. Joseph's Indian School St. Joseph's Indian School is an American Indian boarding school, run by the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart just outside the city of Chamberlain, South Dakota, on the east side of the Missouri River. The school, located in the ...

near

Chamberlain, South Dakota Chamberlain is a city in Brule County, South Dakota, United States. It is located on the east bank of the Missouri River, at the dammed section of the Lake Francis Case, close to where it is crossed by Interstate 90. The population of Chamberl ...

, and completed his secondary education at

Intermountain Indian School The Intermountain Indian School (1950–1984) was a Native American boarding school in Brigham City, Utah. History This was originally the site of Bushnell Army Hospital. It operated from 1942 to 1946 and served wounded soldiers of World ...

Brigham City, Utah Brigham City is a city in Box Elder County, Utah, Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 19,650 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, up from the 2010 figure of 17,899. It is the county seat of Box Elder County. It l ...

. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in education from Northeastern Oklahoma State University and a Master of Fine Arts in photography from the

San Francisco Art Institute San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) was a Private college, private art school, college of contemporary art in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1871, SFAI was one of the oldest art schools in the United States and the oldest west of the Mis ...

Career

Jackson's photographic series include "Indian Photographing Tourist Photographing Indian", "Native American Veterans", "Indian Man in San Francisco", and "Entering Zig's Indian Reservation". Many of his works feature an ironic or humorous perspective on contemporary Native American issues. In "Indian Photographing Tourist Photographing Indian", Jackson "satirizes white tourists becoming anthropological subjects as they photograph Native American powwow dancers." Many of the tourists are so focused on the dancers they are unaware of Jackson's presence. "Entering Zig's Indian Reservation", which

Artsy Artsy, formally known as Art.sy Inc is a New York City based online art brokerage. Its main business is developing and hosting website for numerous galleries as well as selling art for them. It utilizes a search engine and database to draw conne ...

describes as "perhaps his best-known series", features Jackson in various urban environments wearing a traditional headdress, staking claim to them with an official-looking reservation sign. On behalf of ''

American Indian Quarterly The ''American Indian Quarterly'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering studies on the indigenous peoples of North and South America. It is published by the University of Nebraska Press and was established in 1974. The editor-in-ch ...

'', Kate Morris highlighted how, with this work, "Jackson establishes his own boundaries, reclaims Indian territories, and writes, rather than is subject to, the rule of law." In 2005, Jackson became the first Native American photographer to be represented in the collections of the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

. Jackson was awarded a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

in 2021, becoming the first indigenous American photographer to receive the award.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Zig 1957 births Living people 20th-century American photographers 20th-century Native American artists 21st-century American photographers 21st-century Native American artists Native American photographers Northeastern State University alumni Photographers from North Dakota San Francisco Art Institute alumni