In todayís society, we often speak of Nature and its power as some mythic and nostalgic tales. When we speak about the sacred bond between human and Nature, we are compelled to speak about the primitive past. We often turn to the tribal communities untainted by modern civilization in hope of that they would have preserved that bond by force of tradition. Truth to be told, this hope is smaller than our ambition to conquer Nature. Hence, in the end, we try to salvage that bond only through retaining the memories of those tribal communities. To preserve those memories is thus to indirectly preserve the bond between human and Nature.

One of the most famous efforts to preserve tribal communities is that of Edward Sheriff Curtisí attempt to record Native Americans and their way of life. In Curtisí works, the Native American tribal communities are presented with a romantic overtone. Nevertheless, their spirit is captured best through this artistís lone effort. Perhaps, it is not an exaggeration to say that in Curtisí photographs, many long gone Native American tribes spring into life again right in front of our eyes. Curtisí ability to capture these peopleís everyday life activities and practices is phenomenal. More than that, he was able to go beyond the recording of material history and effectively recorded the Native Americanís spiritual life. Through the photographs, Curtis shows that their sacred bond with Nature manifests not only in their religious practices but also through their livelihoods.