Benjamin Alfred Haldane, Woman bathing Infant

A testament to his perseverance and remarkable aptitude for learning, Benjamin Alfred (B.A.) Haldane was only twenty-five years old when he opened his portrait studio in Metlakatla, Alaska in 1899. The discovery of this pivotal moment more than a century later would position B.A. in the history of Native photographers as the first professional on the Northwest Coast. He was one of eight hundred and twenty-three Tsimshian people who, under the guidance of lay missionary William Duncan, migrated from British Columbia to Metlakatla, Alaska in 1887. Two years later, B.A.’s formal schooling was cut short when after completing the third grade he was told by Duncan that “there was nothing more for him to learn.” Undiscouraged, he continued his education on his own by purchasing books with the wages from the salmon cannery. He trained himself in both photography and music, mastering the piano, pipe organ, cornet, trombone, and violin in addition to composing orchestral music and translating ancient Tsimshian songs to sheet music. His photography and musical career went hand-in-hand as he travelled to Native communities throughout Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington to take photographs, teach music, and direct bands and choirs. Native peoples from surrounding villages also travel to Metlakatla to have their individual and family portraits taken in his studio. Integral to his photographic practice is the way in which he empowered communities by documenting their resistance to colonial authority and continued practice of ancient beliefs and traditions. Collections of B.A.’s photographs are located in archives throughout North America. In 2003, one hundred and sixty-three of his glass plate negatives were salvaged from a waste facility in Metlakatla. Broken and burned, the images produced from them carry the scars from their near loss. Though traumatic, this event ignited a strong sense pride and renewed interest in B.A.’s photography among his family members and our community. -- Mique'l Dangeli, 2009