Passing the Torch: After 20 Years, Renowned Jesuit Photographer Places Red Cloud’s Calendar in the Hands of Emerging Lakota Artists
posted June 10, 2016
Early each spring, a group of students arrive on Red Cloud Indian School’s campus dressed in traditional Lakota regalia—adorned in vibrant colors, feathers, and beadwork—to have their portraits taken for the annual calendar. For the last twenty years, the award-winning photojournalist Father Donald Doll, S.J. has stood behind the camera, capturing images that reflect the beauty of Native culture.
This year, the calendar shoot took on a whole new meaning. At Fr. Doll’s urging, two young Lakota photographers joined him behind the camera. Angel White Eyes and Willi White, both graduates and employees of Red Cloud, will carry on Fr. Doll’s work in the years to come. For Fr. Doll, creating the calendar’s images has always been about celebrating Lakota heritage; something he felt was well overdue for giving Lakota artists the creative responsibility to capture and reflect their own culture.
“In all my work, I try to approach people with a profound respect for who they are. What I’ve loved about doing the Red Cloud calendar is having the chance to show kids how beautiful and precious they are. Often I believe kids have a hard time understanding their own self-worth. I want them to appreciate who they are as Native Americans, and to treasure their own culture,” said Fr. Doll. “As Native photographers themselves, Willi and Angel will bring a whole new perspective to this work—a perspective that the world needs to see. They are the next generation of Lakota artists and I want them to be able to tell their own story, and the story of their people.”
Fr. Doll first came to Indian Country in 1962 as a young Jesuit. He was sent to the Rosebud Reservation to serve at Saint Francis Mission and after just one week, he was asked to help with photography. Fr. Doll began taking photos for Saint Francis’ publications, but after two years, he still was not satisfied with the quality of his work and was contemplating giving up photography. Feeling disillusioned and discouraged, he took a walk across the prairie on a crisp fall evening and felt a voice inside of him telling him to “stay with photography; it’s the first thing you loved doing.”
“I believe that was the Holy Spirit speaking in the depths of my heart, like it does in everyone’s heart,” he explained. “That was truly a pivotal moment for me. In all my projects since, I’ve trusted in that voice to guide me in what to do next.”
Fr. Doll went on to become an internationally recognized photographer. In addition to teaching photojournalism at Creighton University over the last five decades, he has traveled the world taking photos for publications like National Geographic. Through his work he has helped to expose non-Native people to the realities facing indigenous communities across the Great Plains and in Alaska, capturing moments of both joy and tragedy. In the 1990’s, he journeyed to every Sioux reservation in five different states and into Canada to take portraits of tribal elders, educators, artists, and advocates working on behalf of their people. He included their stories and images in his book and exhibit “Vision Quest: Men, Women and Sacred Sites of the Sioux Nation” to celebrate the beauty and resilience of Native cultural and spiritual heritage.
Fr. Doll’s long-standing commitment to Native people across the Great Plains—as well as the strong friendships with staff and teachers—have kept him coming back to Red Cloud. When he arrived on campus this year, he once again brought the studio equipment needed to shoot the calendar. He worked side by side with Willi and Angel through the week, offering guidance around setting up the best studio lighting, engaging with students in front of the camera, and editing and selecting the best composition. Fr. Doll, Angel, and Willi all took their own photos of each student, taking turns throughout each session. Together they shot over 2000 photos and Angel and Willi worked closely with Carol McCabe, Fr. Doll’s photo editor, to pare the photos down to a core selection. By the end of the week, they had selected the final calendar photographs. Only one photo had been shot by Fr. Doll.
“At first I was a little hurt,” Fr. Doll said, laughing. “But then I realized that this is exactly why we came! Willi and Angel’s work was absolutely beautiful. So it was certainly a mission accomplished!”
Willi and Angel, longtime friends who graduated from Red Cloud High School together in 2008, were thrilled at the prospect of taking responsibility for the calendar’s portraits—and to learn directly from Fr. Doll during his time on campus. For Willi, who is also an emerging filmmaker, it was a chance to reconnect with his former professor and mentor. He studied photojournalism under Fr. Doll for three years as a student at Creighton University.
“Fr. Doll has always been extremely approachable and so knowledgeable. His classes at Creighton were small and intimate and he immediately connected with me because of where I came from. He really wanted me to succeed and he paid a lot of attention to me, taking on a mentor’s role,” said Willi. “I hadn’t seen him since I graduated from Creighton three years ago, but it felt so natural and instinctual to be working with him again. For me it wasn’t about learning something new, but reaffirming for myself that I have the ability to do this and can jump right into the work.”
As a student, Angel had pursued photography for years, primarily on her own and without formal training. But several years ago, National Geographic photographer Aaron Huey visited Red Cloud and recognized her talent. He offered her a scholarship to participate in photography workshops in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she advanced her professional skills. For Angel, working with Fr. Doll presented another extraordinary opportunity to grow as an artist.
“I have focused primarily on photojournalism and had never taken studio portraits before. So it was wonderful to have Fr. Doll teach me how to approach studio work—how to think about the poses and the lighting, and how to use equipment to capture the shot you want. I hadn’t been exposed to that before and he really helped me expand my knowledge.”
As a team, Willi and Angel plan to honor Fr. Doll’s style: Willi explains that the photos will remain as “clean and beautiful” as Fr. Doll’s studio portraits. But they are also excited to explore their own artistic vision for the calendar—to try new techniques and develop their own editorial approach, engaging more students in the process.
“The regalia photos are so beautiful to look at—but there’s also so much more going on at Red Cloud that we want people to see,” said Angel. “We’d love to get more students involved and for the calendar’s photos to illustrate our students’ lives and who they are outside the studio.”
Happy to turn artistic direction of the calendar over to Willi and Angel, Fr. Doll is moving on from his formal work with Red Cloud. But he has no intention of slowing down. He has been traveling extensively to document and promote the efforts of the Jesuit Refugee Service. He is also returning to some work with video production. He will soon be shooting three short films about the winners of the million dollar Opus Prize, an annual faith-based humanitarian award honoring individuals and organizations working to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. Wherever his work takes him, Fr. Doll says that the people here at Red Cloud will always be a part of him.
“I’ve been blessed to be able to create Red Cloud’s calendar all these years. And it’s also wonderful to be turning this work over to Angel and Willi. Of course I would be happy to come back next year to assist them. But from what I’ve seen, I don’t expect them to need help. The calendar is in very capable hands.”
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Photos courtesy of Leopold Stuebner, S.J.