Ceremonial Dancer with Child (source unknown)

I am drawn to this image of a Native American “Indian” (or “first nations”) man and the baby in his arms. The man appears to be a participant in a ceremonial dance performance, which is indicated by his clothing and the people sitting on folded chairs in the background.

The clothing worn during ceremonial dances is sometimes intended to resemble clothing worn by fighters, so that the image that is conveyed is one that draws upon traditional ideas about masculinity. And yet it is significant that this man, in all of his traditional masculine gear, is carrying a baby in his arms.

A person viewing this photograph is likely to become aware that they usually expect to see an infant carried in its mother’s arms — this is particularly true when one thinks of images of blacks, Native Americans, Hispanics, Arabs, and East Asians — but it is rare to see men in this role. In fact, I can’t think of a time when I have ever seen an image of a Native American male carrying an infant.

The contrast in images and the way that identities are constructed in popular culture would also work if this had been a picture of a white American soldier dressed in full US military gear — say, in Afghanistan or Iraq — either embracing or holding the hand of a child. There are such images out there, to be sure, but one of the reasons these images are so powerful, and merit attention in photojournalism, is because they jar us out of our conventional sensibilities. To the extent that we have been conditioned to separate masculinity from nurturing, these images undermine our conventional sense of masculinity.

Maybe this separation of masculinity from nurturing is part of the reason we are struggling so much to provide healthy role models for fatherhood.

It seems to me that the juxtaposition of images and expectations in this photo is very much in the spirit of what we are calling “post-blackness.” It is the initial shock of the unexpected that causes us to pause, take a second look, and reflect on our unexamined assumptions. It opens the door for us to conceive of people in roles we hadn’t considered before and to ask, “What if…” and “Why not?”

C. Matthew Hawkins

Also of interest: Linking Cultures and Transcending Labels and What Color is Your Music?