Lee Marmon, Laguna War Chief, Bruce Riley
Lee Marmon
1925-2021
Laguna Pueblo
Date
1965
Medium Specific
Photograph
Classification
Photograph
Dimensions
22 1/2 x 23 in. (57.2 x 58.4 cm)
Accession Number
2008.20.10.49
Credit
Gift of the Artist
Memo / Artist Statement
Born in 1905 and raised in Laguna village, Bruce Riley was educated at St. Catherine's Indian School in Santa Fe. After the eighth grade, he came home for fiesta and never returned to school.
During his lifetime, Bruce worked at many occupations, including raising sheep on a Kansas farm and working for the federal government on the Mescalero Apache reservation. A summer job on the section gang for the Santa Fe Railroad led to a full-time job, and Bruce ended up in Winslow, Arizona, for five years, working on the railroad and playing in the Santa Fe Indian Band. His last job was with the Anaconda Copper Company at the Jackpile Mine, the main source of income for the Lagunas for many years.
At the time of this portrait, Bruce was a war chief of Laguna tribe. In the old days, the war chiefs were in charge of protecting the village - fending off raiding Navajos and Apaches, for instance - but now they oversee various community duties and religious rituals. (Marmon, Laguna Pueblo: A Photographic History, p.126)
During his lifetime, Bruce worked at many occupations, including raising sheep on a Kansas farm and working for the federal government on the Mescalero Apache reservation. A summer job on the section gang for the Santa Fe Railroad led to a full-time job, and Bruce ended up in Winslow, Arizona, for five years, working on the railroad and playing in the Santa Fe Indian Band. His last job was with the Anaconda Copper Company at the Jackpile Mine, the main source of income for the Lagunas for many years.
At the time of this portrait, Bruce was a war chief of Laguna tribe. In the old days, the war chiefs were in charge of protecting the village - fending off raiding Navajos and Apaches, for instance - but now they oversee various community duties and religious rituals. (Marmon, Laguna Pueblo: A Photographic History, p.126)
Biography
One of America’s most renowned Native American photographers, Marmon began his career in 1947, photographing elders and members of his community in Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico. Over the past fifty years Marmon’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. His diverse portfolio includes work with Columbia Pictures, official photographer for the Bob Hope Desert Classic for eight years, a Commission for the White House in 1972, and most recently photographing for the American Indian College Fund. The portfolio features photographic prints from throughout his career.