Between a dry tree and a green tree: Using photographs to explore Kiowa and Comanche perspectives of their history in the post-allotment period, 1887-1945

This thesis explores the nature of cultural perspective in the teaching and learning of history. It is a case study which examines how Kiowa and Comanche Indians of Oklahoma interpret photographs of tribal life during the postallotment period (1887-1945). It reports how these Native Americans perceive their cultural history and how they use photographs to communicate their historical perspectives. By using historical photographs as the focus of in-depth interviews, this study also explores how visual media can be used in the research process to elicit data of a cultural nature.;The study addresses several educational concerns including: the lack of Native American perspectives and voices in American history textbooks, how history is taught and learned within a cultural context, and the use of visual media to interpret and communicate history.;For this study I used ethnographic research methods to answer the following two research questions: (1) How do the Kiowa and Comanche interpret the postallotment period as seen in photographs? (2) How are photographs used by them to communicate their perspectives? In-depth interviews were conducted with over twenty Kiowa and Comanche people of different ages familiar with the events depicted in the photographs, the history of the postallotment period, and/or tribal ways of teaching and learning history. Using photographs as part of the interview process has roots in ethnohistory, visual anthropology and the history of photography.;The findings of this study have broad implications for the teaching and learning of history, and the use of visual materials as a tool in that process. The educational significance goes beyond school curricula to all contexts where historical information about Native Americans is disseminated. To construct educational materials which include Native American or other cultural perspectives, we must first understand what those perspectives include, and in what form they can be communicated, taking into consideration Native cultural contexts.