Description
A curator, photographer and cultural analyst, Jeff Thomas brings historical Indigenous stories and perspectives into the present. The image on the left is a portrait of Emily General, an elder from the Six Nations Reserve in southern Ontario, and great-aunt and sister to Jeff Thomas’s step-father Bert General. Emily was instrumental in helping Thomas define his sense of place as an urban Iroquoian and instrumental in his development as a visual artist and curator. The second left image is of an old chair outside Emily’s kitchen door referencing Thomas sitting outside listening to his elders tell stories and converse about local events. The third image is of drying white corn braided by Bert General. The right image is of Chief Jacob General photographed by Francis Knowles in 1912. The Hiawatha wampum belt commemorates the Peacemaker’s journey through ancient Iroquoia passed down to the Thomas and became the protype for his journey that would lead to self-identification as an urban Iroquois.
Thomas was born in Buffalo (New York) and is a member of the Onondaga nation, part of the Six Nations Confederacy. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants including the City of Ottawa Karsh Award (2008), Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (2003), Canada Council Duke and Duchess of York Prize in Photography (1998) and the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts (2019).