The Earth Only Endures

By the late 1800s, American Indians, for the most part, had come under complete control of the United States government, which attempted to assimilate them by sending children to boarding schools, and forbidding them from speaking their native language or wear traditional clothing or hairstyles. It was in this environment that many individuals felt a need to preserve the history and culture of the various tribes. At first, periodicals and books were published by anthropologists, ethnologists, and authors advocating for Indian rights. With the invention of the phonograph, many individuals began to interview and record tribal members. In The Earth Only Endures: Songs, Prayers, Wisdom, and Photographs of Americas First People, Thomas F. Voight has collected portraits of American Indians by prominent photographers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, along with songs, prayers, and wisdom of the people. The beautiful pictures and words comprise an inspirational and educational collection. It is meant as a companion to his first anthology, Stand in the Light: Native Voices Illuminated by Edward F. Curtis, which was the winner of the 2019 Arizona-New Mexico Book Award and the 2020 Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medal for Anthology.