Native American Mother With Her Papoose Notebook

I think this is a marvellous photograph. It was taken by photographer Edward S. Curtis around the year 1923. You can see the joy on the face of this young Native American mother as she smiles at her papoose. Her joy is catching—it warms my heart and makes me smile, too. She belonged to the Achomawi band of the Pit River tribe of Native Americans who lived in northeastern California. I am struck by the blend of contemporary (for 1923) and Achomawi heritage when I see the “modern” clothes the young mother is wearing in contrast to the marvellous woven and beaded detail of the cradleboard holding her papoose. I hope this photograph touches you as much as it does me.