Indigenous culture in the works of Winslow Homer and Frederic Remington


Winslow Homer and Frederic Remington both depicted Indigenous people in their work in varying capacities. In this special live online talk, two Maine experts discuss the layers of meaning and implications behind those depictions.

James Eric Francis Sr. is Penobscot Nation’s Director of Cultural and Historic Preservation, Tribal Historian, and Chair of Penobscot Tribal Rights and Resource Protection Board. As a historian James studies the relationship between Maine Native Americans and the landscape. Prior to working at the Penobscot Nation, James worked for the Wabanaki Studies Commission helping implement the new Maine Native American Studies Law into Maine schools. James co-produced a film, Invisible, which examines racism experienced by Native Americans in Maine and the Canadian Maritimes. James is the on the Co-Chair of the Abbe Museum's Board of Trustees, and Co-Director of Local Context an initiative to support Native, First Nations, Aboriginal, and Indigenous communities in the management of their intellectual property and cultural heritage. James also serves on the UMaine's Hudson Museum Advisory Board. James is a historical researcher, photographer, filmmaker, painter, and graphics artist.


Darren J. Ranco, PhD, is Associate Professor of Anthropology and Chair of Native American Programs at the University of Maine. He has a Masters of Studies in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School and a PhD in Social Anthropology from Harvard University. His research focuses on the ways in which indigenous communities in the United States resist environmental destruction by using indigenous science, diplomacies, and critiques of liberalism to protect natural and cultural resources. He teaches classes on indigenous intellectual property rights, research ethics, environmental justice and tribal governance. As a citizen of the Penobscot Nation, he is particularly interested in how better research relationships can be made between universities, museums, Native and non-Native researchers, and indigenous communities.