MVSKOKE RESERVATION – Many Indigenous photographers have taken photos of Indigenous people, but each has a similar meaning behind their photos, and each photographer brings a different eye to the vision. For the owner, Victoria Tiger (Mvskoke/Euchee), she has taken various visual shots throughout her life, and she is starting to lean more towards a cultural angle in her photos. This is her story.
Tiger is Bird Clan, she attends both Concharty Church, and the Duck Creek Ceremonial Grounds. Her husband is Aaron Tiger, and they have two children, Avery and Sequoyah.
She has always loved photography, but it wasn’t until 2015, after her daughter was born, that she started to pick up the camera. She enjoyed capturing moments of emotion, and when Tiger first started photographing families, she later wanted to represent the tribe through her photography.
Her business, “Victoria Tiger Photography,” started in 2016. Throughout her years as a photographer, Tiger has evolved in many ways, but one thing that has remained the same is her desire to photograph human connection.
“I went through a journey of being able to photograph our people in a more artistic way, an emotive way. By being more intentional with each shot, I find myself back here having a gravitational pull to photograph our people in a storytelling way.”
“It wasn’t until 2020, when my little sister, Cheyanne, passed away, that I truly understood the value and fragility of life. As difficult as that loss was, it changed the way I see the world and the way I create. It pushed me to photograph from a deeper place, one rooted in emotion, memory, and appreciation for the moments we are given. It taught me that even after immense sadness, there is still beauty when the sun comes out again,” Tiger said.
Her husband is in the military, so Tiger has traveled a lot outside of Oklahoma. This has given her a broad perspective on different cultures, and she wanted to give her own people a voice and a space to create art.
Tiger stated, “In today’s world, with the constant fight to be seen and to remind people that Native people are still here, and always will be, I feel a strong pull to photograph different forms of art. My goal has always been to capture emotion and tell meaningful stories through my work.”
Back in March, Tiger did a photoshoot with Ariana, and they both traveled to the Marland Mansion in Ponca City to bring her vision to life. Tiger stated that she wanted to show that Native people are capable of becoming anything they aspire to be. She believes it is important to incorporate elements of cultural representation while allowing the beauty and elegance of ballet to shine through.
“The ribbons were especially meaningful. My inspiration came from Ribbon Dance, a traditional dance held at many ceremonial grounds throughout the Muscogee Reservation. It is a dance that honors and shows appreciation for women,” Tiger said.
“I wanted to bring a small piece of that significance into this session, blending cultural elements with artistic expression in a way that felt authentic and respectful.”
With each creative session like this, she tries to tie together both a piece of who Indigenous people are and the traditions that have shaped them into who they are. Doing this work makes it more personal and meaningful for Tiger. Creating this, it also shows representation, storytelling, and connection for her.
“For me, each session is about celebrating identity, culture, strength, resilience, and the many paths Native people continue to walk,” Tiger said.
Tiger mentions that she has seen some photographers on social media platforms who are misrepresenting the Native culture in a distasteful way.
“Going back to the ballet shoot, for instance. My goal behind that one was to show that Native people are capable of becoming anything and anything they want. That was what was important to me behind that one is to incorporate a little bit of cultural representation but in a more tasteful way,” Tiger said.
One of her favorite cultural pieces that she has taken features her Mekko from the Duck Creek Ceremonial Ground, Simon Harry. Six or seven years ago, her past Mekko was 98 years old. She had photographed Harry at the ceremonial ground after their season was over.
Looking back at these photos, she notices a lot of black and white images, “I’m like ‘Oh man, I could have changed this, or I could have photographed it this way or that way,’ but looking at those images now, 5- 7 years later, my goal was always still there. When I approached that session, I wanted to feel something years later,” Tiger said.
“Now looking back, I still can feel his presence and his stories, his teachings, to not only myself but to my other ground members.”
One of her biggest life lessons, Tiger learned through photography, was to cherish every moment, especially memories of her sister, Cheyanne.
“I lost my younger sister, and going back to my why and why I love to photograph the things that I do. Life is precious, there’s all kinds of stages of life, and one of the first things we look for when somebody passes is pictures and to show their life. I think that’s what’s important to me, being able to capture those memories for happy times, unfortunately, the sad times too. But really just capturing life and just trying to dig deep into each session and bringing that to life,” Tiger said.
Tiger’s advice to emerging Indigenous photographers who want to document a cultural vision is to stay true to who you are, and that what we are taught will always lead you far in life.
“If I could offer any advice to young Indigenous artists, it would be to stay true to who you are and to the teachings that have guided you. Never let anyone tell you that your voice, your story, or your art does not matter. Do not take no for an answer, and never stop creating from your heart,” Tiger said.
“Our stories deserve to be told, our cultures deserve to be celebrated, and your unique perspective is something the world needs to see.”
To follow her journey through her photography, you can follow Tiger’s Photography on Facebook at Victoria Tiger Photography.
If you want photo sessions done by her, you can contact Tiger through her email at Hello@victoriatiger.com, and her website is www.victoriatigerphotography.com
