It has changed the way I see the landscape and made me more aware of the country's history. For that, I am grateful.Michael Sherwin John Wayne Point, Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, NMMichael Sherwin was an associate professor at West Virginia University. He discovered that a shopping mall was being built on the Monongahela burial site in Morgantown, West Virginia. This realization shocked him deeply, and he began a long-term investigation into what had happened to other Native American sites that were sacred or historical. "The Suncrest Town Center is a really banal, anywhere-in-consumer-America kind of a site. It's a shopping center with a grocery shop, etc. It held, and it still holds this whole additional spiritual significance to the Monongahela cultural," Sherwin stated when discussing the origins of the project with BuzzFeed News. It is easy to recognize the significance of the site once you have the knowledge and understanding of the past inhabitants. That really changed the way I looked at that landscape. Vanishing Points is his work and will be published in a book. It challenges the notion that history can ever be fully determined by large-format photographs that critically examine familiar American landscapes.Michael Sherwin Suncrest Centre, Morgantown WV Suncrest Centre is a strip-mall that sits on an old Monongahelan burial site and village site in Morgantown West Virginia. Walmart initially owned the lease, but they reneged after learning that it was an ancient Native American burial site. West Virginia University was given the land to use as an archaeological site. WVU eventually sold the land to an investment company, which excavated the site, and then shipped the remains to New York's Seneca tribe, who were the Monongahelan culture's traditional enemy.Bonnie Brown, the director for Native American Studies at West Virginia University and Sherwin's research assistant on the book, said that "He takes me there by creating this beautiful photo." He makes me reflect on what is permanent and what has not disappeared, and who are the other people who have experienced this exact same view? Sherwin, a white man, admits it is difficult to show the multiple layers of history of Indigenous cultures. Sherwin worked with Brown and archaeologists to ensure that only sites were accessible to the wider public. This allowed him to examine how Native history was being ignored or distorted. He was often confronted by questions about complicity during his research. This led him to numerous sites right in his own backyard. He said, "Even though my ancestry is not of this race, it is important that I acknowledge that and that I discuss that in my work." I hope the photograph raises awareness about these issues and the importance these sacred sites. Sherwin, who documented over 100 sites in the US, did not work with any local tribes. He saw it as more of a personal quest to connect with the land. One of his most memorable moments was at Medicine Wheel. This ancient sacred site is located in the Bighorn National Park in Wyoming. It has been inhabited since thousands of years. Medicine Wheel is a limestone plateau with a rolling surface that aligns with certain constellations at specific times of the year. Many tribes still use it for ceremonies. The landmark boundaries were significantly expanded after tribal consultation to allow for over 100 smaller wheels in the landscape. Sherwin relates his experience by sharing a single photo that honors Red Cloud, an important Oglala Lakota leader.Michael Sherwin Eagle Feather. Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark. Bighorn National Forest. Wyoming.Joshua Mann, the tribal preservation officer of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, Wyoming, said that "some tribes would prohibit such a book from being written, especially non-Natives because it deals with sacred places such as the Medicine Wheel." I know that some tribes would find this disrespectful. Mann's role as a tribal preservation officers is to ensure that tribes are represented in land-use projects. There is also a point of contact for any artifacts and remains that are discovered. The role of tribal preservation officer was established in 1990 by Congress and National Parks Service. It is crucial for the preservation of Native culture. Mann stated that "Everything remains active." "With this job we can at most acknowledge the past existence of sacred areas and classify them as sacred. They can still be used by our tribe." Mann said. Sherwin urges people to support Native American cultural and historic sites. He wrote in his book as well as online that some of the photographs in the series were taken on the lands and sovereign Native nations. "Many other photographs were taken on Indigenous lands which were ceded, seized or stolen by the United States government via treaty and federal statute."Michael Sherwin Shrum Mound in Columbus, Ohio The Shrum Mound is an ancient conical burial mound that was built by the Adena people around 2,000 years ago. Named after the Shrum family, which owned the farm it was built, the mound has been named Shrum Mound. The mound is currently located in a park of one acre. It is surrounded by privacy fences, a busy highway and an old limestone quarry. The city skyline can be seen eight miles away from the summit. Although many of these burial mounds have been destroyed by development and agriculture, they do still exist in Ohio.Fort Phil Kearney State Historic Site Banner, Wyoming, Michael Sherwin Stockade wall, Fort Phil Kearney State Historic Site. Fort Phil Kearny, an outpost of US Army, was established in the late 1870s along the Bozeman Trail in northeastern Wyoming. Over 17 acres of Native land were covered by the fort's 8-foot high walls, making it the largest stockade fort west. The Sioux, bitter from decades of forced removal and broken Treaties, attacked the fort. The fort was finally evacuated by the Sioux in 1868 after they won. This was one of few times during the Indian Wars that the US Army had to leave a region it occupied.Point Pleasant Riverfront Park, West Virginia, Michael Sherwin Mural. The Battle of Point Pleasant took place in West Virginia's small town of Point Pleasant. In 1774, more than 1,000 militiamen from Virginia defeated a force of Algonquin confederation Shawnee warriors and Mingo warriors. The victory saw the Indians lose their right to hunt in the region and they agreed to recognize the Ohio River between their lands, and the British colonies.Canyon de Chelly National Monument in Arizona, Michael Sherwin Antelope RuinsMichael Sherwin Laundry, Indian Mound Campground, New Marshfield, Ohio.Michael Sherwin George Washington. Black Hills National Forest. Keystone, South Dakota.Michael Sherwin Wild Horses and Road Crow Indian Reservation, Montana
