Pauline Sharp, Kanza, at Iⁿ'zhúje'waxóbe, the sacred big red rock at Allegawaho Memorial Park near Council Grove. (Bo Rader)
Former journalist Beccy Tanner had always had a knack for history.
As soon as she noticed there was not any written history of Native Americans in her small central-Kansas town of St. John, she knew she could join her talent with other journalists to educate her community about their history.
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Tanner, joined by photographer Bo Rader, videographer Auriel Hathaway and local historians, created the “First People of Kansas” documentary series, highlighting the history of Native Americans in the St. John and Wichita area.
“We didn’t really have stories of diversity,” she said. “We had a lot of stories, and we still will tell those stories, of the prominent white people who settled here and did well. But there were also many other people who didn’t always make our history books.”
The St. John community on Oct. 19 will celebrate the project’s completion with a showing of the documentary at the St. John Homecoming Hall and Museum. Native American women will make fry bread, and Don Blakeslee, a Great Plains Native American archeologist, will give artifact presentations.
With a career in journalism covering Native Americans as well as teaching history courses at Wichita State University, Tanner said she was ready to take on the responsibility of a large project. With connections to the community and a long family history in St. John, she recognized how little members knew about their history.
“You know, we never learned about it. It wasn’t until I became a journalist that any of the people whose great-great-grandfathers were part of the stories that people were telling,” she said. “We would find things on our farms and things like that, and yet really have no explanation of what these artifacts were. So hopefully this project can help people understand.”
Rader used wet plate photography for the project. The uncommon technique requires the photographer to coat a special plate with light-sensitive emulsion and take the photo while the plate is still wet. The photographs will be featured at the event as well as in the docuseries. Rader said he learned about the 200-year-old technique in a magazine and knew it would be perfect.
“It’s so rudimentary — it’s the absolute basics of photography. It was by no means easy,” he said. “I just love it because I was creating something myself, and no digital camera in the world was going to do it for me.”
He said he wanted to capture what made each person, their tribe and history unique.
“I try to find something that sets them apart,” he said. “It’s trying to give the person a place and a connection back to their history or their environment.”
Kanza citizen Pauline Sharp was one of many participants interviewed in the series. She serves as chairwoman of the Kanza Heritage Society, a private nonprofit organization that helps the Kaw Nation to preserve heritage sites and tribal culture. To her, being a Native voice in the series was a spotlight not only for her tribe, but also highlights the differences among those that are spread out throughout the state.
“For me, this project is an opportunity to educate people about the Kanza People, that we are still here and engaged in Native American issues and cultural preservation,” Sharp said. “This is an important opportunity to educate the public that we each have different languages, history and stories.”
St. John museum director Ann Franco said she hopes this project can lead to continued learning about Native American history.
“This project seems to be rewriting what we know about the history of those that lived here before the white man came,” she said. “I hope the museum can obtain native artifacts and display them in a way to showcase the Native American heritage and show the timeline of events that impacted our ancestors. It can bring a deeper understanding of interdependency, inclusiveness and a respect for differences.”
The annual St. John Homecoming Celebration held in the fall often recognizes the area’s history. This year, however, community members hope that the stories can spread beyond the town.
“We hope that this will help people to see and hear about St. John,” said Anna Minnis, president of St. John Homecoming Hall and Museum. “It would go out and affect other towns and how the history of those people came and settled this area. We hope it spreads out from here.”
Tanner said it vital that the material makes its way into schools.
“This is just the first step,” Tanner said. “But I think it’s important that we tell stories of diversity of different cultures and I’m hoping that even they find their way in classrooms.”
Sharp hopes that the documentary will extend beyond creating awareness, but also to show the pride that comes with indigenous identity.
“It is important that Native voices are heard because many of us are invisible in Kansas,” Sharp said. “We need the public to understand we are not relegated to the past, our stories continue and we are proud, contributing citizens of Kansas.”
Corrections:
Beccy Tanner taught history courses at Wichita State University. An earlier version of the story incorrectly identified the university where she taught.
Don Blakeslee, a Great Plains Native American archeologist, will give artifact presentations. An earlier version of the story misidentified who would give the presentations.
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