The Vanishing Race
Into the shadow, whose illumined crest
Speaks of the world behind them where the sun
Still shines for us whose day is not yet done,
Those last dark ones go drifting. East or West,
Or North or South—it matters not; their quest
Is toward the shadow whence it was begun;
Hope in it, Ah, my brothers; there is none;
And yet—they only seek a place to rest.
So mutely, uncomplainingly, they go!
How shall it be with us when they are gone,
When they are but a mem’ry and a name?
May not those mournful eyes to phantoms grow—
When, wronged and lonely, they have drifted on
Into the voiceless shadow whence they came?
Photograph by Edward S. Curtis titled "The Vanishing Race." 1904.
Edward Sheriff Curtis (1868-1952) was a prominent photographer of Native Americans and their livelihoods. In 1904, he took this picture and titled it "The Vanishing Race," which inspired the poem of the same title by Ella Higginson.
"The Vanishing Race" as it appears in Ella Higginson's The Vanishing Race, 1911.
Hi, I found your blog by a struck of luck while looking for this particular Edward S Curtis photograph. I had never heard of Ella Higginson. Her poem is very touching. I can see that both the photographer and the writer were deeply concerned by the first nations' destiny. In general, Canadians prefer to think that there is less racism in Canada, compared to the US. It may be true about specific visible minorities in some areas of Canada. However, as Canadians we certainly can benefit reading Higginsons's poem. Her words make me more sensitive and curious about our first nation's people rights and way of life. Thanks for sharing the poem.
ReplyDeleteSincerely — Gilles Comtois, Photographer and photography instructor based in Gatineau, Québec, Canada