This Day in History: 1868-02-16

Edward Curtis, a photographer of the American West, is born on this day in 1868.  While working as a photographer in Seattle, Curtis became fascinated with Native Americans.  In a decades – long project sponsored by the  Smithsonian, Curtis  made over 10,000 recordings of Native American language and music and took over 40,000 photos of people from  80 tribes. According to his Wikipedia entry, he recorded tribal lore and history,  as well as   foods, housing, garments, recreation, ceremonies, and funeral customs. He wrote biographical sketches of tribal leaders. His material, in most cases, is the only written recorded history of many tribes.