Through Indigenous Eyes: A Comparison of Two Tohono O’odham Photographic Collections Documenting Pilgrimages to Magdalena

This article analyzes two Tohono O’odham photographic collections documenting transnational O’odham pilgrimages to Magdalena, Sonora, Mexico. These photographic collections are further contextualized through oral history interviews and ethnographic participant-observation. Altogether, these 559 photos illustrate two of the many ways in which the pilgrimage is envisioned within contemporary O’odham communities. Despite the differing ways in which the two photographers document O’odham pilgrimages, the findings demonstrate the ways in which both photographers exercise “visual sovereignty.” This article also contributes to ongoing discussions in the academic study of religion about the so-called “insider/outsider” problem.