Dugan Aguilar (1947–2018) was a Native American photographer whose work has been exhibited by major museums. He is "among the first Native photographers to document Native life in Yosemite and California through his own vision."

Early life

Robert Dugan Aguilar was born on August 8, 1947, in

Susanville, California Susanville (formerly known as Rooptown) is a town in and the county seat of Lassen County, California, United States. Susanville is located on the Susan River in the southern part of the county, at an elevation of . Its population is 16,728 a ...

, where he grew up. His mother's family was

Maidu The Maidu are a Native American people of northern California. They reside in the central Sierra Nevada, in the watershed area of the Feather and American rivers. They also reside in Humbug Valley. In Maiduan languages, ''Maidu'' means "man." ...

from the Green River Rancheria and

Achomawi Achomawi (also Achumawi, Ajumawi and Ahjumawi), are the northerly nine (out of eleven) bands of the Pit River tribe of Palaihnihan Native Americans who live in what is now northeastern California in the United States. These 5 autonomous bands ...

living on Hat Creek. His father was

Northern Paiute Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...

from the

Walker River Indian Reservation The Walker River Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation located in central Nevada in the United States. It belongs to the Walker River Paiute Tribe, a federally recognized tribe of Northern Paiute people. The tribe represents two Northern P ...

in Nevada. Aguilar also has some Irish ancestry and preferred the name

Dugan Dugan or Duggan ( ga, Uí Dhúgáin) is an Irish surname derived from Ó Dubhagáinn. History A family of the name Dugan had its territory near the modern town of Fermoy in north Cork, and were originally the ruling family of the Fir Maighe ...

, because it means "of dark complexion" in

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

Military service

Leonard Lowry, one of the most decorated Native American war heroes of the U.S. military, was Aguilar's uncle. Lowry joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in 1940, served in Australia, New Guinea, the Philippines, and Japan during and after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Lowry won the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

in Korea in 1950, and retired after 27 years as a

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. Aguilar served in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

for 13 months. The Maidu community made him a warrior when he returned and gave him a beaded

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p ...

feather award. His mother transformed his uniform into a quilt.

Education

Aguilar graduated from

California State University, Fresno California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...

in 1973. He studied photography at the graduate level at

University of California, Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of California syste ...

;

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The institut ...

; and

University of Nevada, Reno The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a public land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant institution. It was founded on October 12, ...

Art career

Ansel Adams Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was an American landscape photographer and environmentalist known for his black-and-white images of the American West. He helped found Group f/64, an association of photographers advoca ...

was an influence and inspiration to Aguilar. After Aguilar first saw photos by Adams at the

Palace of the Legion of Honor The Legion of Honor, formally known as the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, is an art museum in San Francisco, California. Located in Lincoln Park, the Legion of Honor is a component of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, which al ...

in San Francisco in 1973, he decided to learn how to print negatives in a similar way. He took a workshop with

in 1978, and decided to concentrate his career on documenting the Native Americans of California and Nevada. He has used techniques advocated by Adams such as

previsualization Previsualization (also known as previsualisation, previs, previz, pre-rendering, preview or wireframe windows) is the visualizing of scenes or sequences in a movie, prior to filming. It is also a concept in various creative practices, including an ...

and use of red filters to create a dark sky. According to independent curator and scholar Brian Bibby, "Aguilar's work is informed by familiarity and affiliation with his subject."

Death

Dugan Aguilar died on October 6, 2018, in

Elk Grove, California Elk Grove is a city in Sacramento County, California, located just south of the state capital of Sacramento. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade– Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 Census, the population o ...

Exhibitions

* Ansel Adams Center for Photography, "Constructing Histories: Portraits of Native Americans", 1998 *

Crocker Art Museum The Crocker Art Museum is the oldest art museum in the Western United States, located in Sacramento, California. Founded in 1885, the museum holds one of the premier collections of Californian art. The collection includes American works dating f ...

, 2001 * Maidu Interpretive Center,

Roseville, California Roseville is the most populous city in Placer County, California, located within the Sacramento metropolitan area. As of 2019, the US Census Bureau estimated the city's population to be 141,500. Interstate 80 runs through Roseville and State Rout ...

, "Honoring Hudessi, 2001 *

Autry National Center The Autry Museum of the American West is a museum in Los Angeles, California, dedicated to exploring an inclusive history of the American West. Founded in 1988, the museum presents a wide range of exhibitions and public programs, including le ...

, "Picturing the People", 2007–2008 *

Grace Hudson Museum The Grace Hudson Museum in Ukiah, California, is adjacent to the Sun House which artist Grace Hudson and her husband John designed and had built in 1911. They lived there until their deaths in 1936 and 1935, respectively. Today the house and museum ...

, 2008 *

Oakland Museum of California The Oakland Museum of California or OMCA (formerly the Oakland Museum) is an interdisciplinary museum dedicated to the art, history, and natural science of California, located adjacent to Oak Street, 10th Street, and 11th Street in Oakland, Cali ...

, 2010 *

de Saisset Museum The de Saisset Museum at Santa Clara University opened in 1955, after Isabel de Saisset, the last member of a California pioneer family bequeathed her estate to the University of Santa Clara. The museum owns nearly 10,000 art pieces and historical ...

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...

, 2010

Books

Dugan Aguilar's photographs have been published in the following books:
Deeper Than Gold: A Guide to Indian Life in the Sierra Foothills

Heyday Books Heyday is an independent nonprofit publisher based in Berkeley, California. Heyday was founded by Malcolm Margolin in 1974 when he wrote, typeset, designed, and distributed ''The East Bay Out'', a guide to the natural history of the hills and b ...

Weaving A California Tradition: A Native American Basketmaker

The Dirt Is Red Here: Art and Poetry From Native California

Yosemite: Art of an American Icon

Remember Your Relations: The Elsie Allen Baskets, Family & Friends

The Fine Art of California Indian Basketry

American Indians and the Urban Experience

Seaweed, Salmon, and Manzanita Cider: a California Indian Feast

Grass Games & Moon Races: California Indian Games and Toys

The Green Book of Language Revitalization in Practice

Precious Cargo: California Indian Cradle Baskets and Childbirth Traditions

Memory and Imagination: the Legacy of Maidu Indian Artist Frank Day

She Sang Me A Good Luck Song: The California Indian Photographs of Dugan Aguilar

References

External links

The Autry National Center - Dugan Aguilar discusses photographing the Tuolumne Rancheria Roundhouse

Alliance for California Traditional Arts: Basket by Eva Salazar (Photo: Dugan Aguilar)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aguilar, Dugan 1947 births 2018 deaths Native American photographers Maidu people Northern Paiute people People from Susanville, California 20th-century Native American artists 21st-century Native American artists