Scouting for Indians

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This series began on the streets of Buffalo, New York, where my family had moved from the reserve to find work. Shuttling between the reserve on weekends and the city during the week was confusing—my two lives felt incongruous. When I was on the reserve there was no television, electricity, running water, or central heating. In the evenings we would sit around the kitchen table and listen to the elders talk about the old days. It was where I learned about Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) culture. On the streets of Buffalo, however, I could find no signs of this history. This series represents my journey to find traces of indigenous presence in the city.