La Flesche and the Importance of Image
Looking more broadly at what photography as a medium does in the context of internment, it is important to understand that photographs only provide a single moment in visual history, and that they can cause viewers to make hasty conclusions. The fact that photographs only present a visual and do not explain the context of the image is a large factor in the concern of Japanese American adults for their image when photographers were around. Japanese internees sought to look presentable as photographs were what the public judged them on. This concern with image reflects a similar concern that European Americans and Native Americans had for the image of Native American children. In The Middle Five, Francis La Flesche reflects on the imposition of school uniforms, saying, “while the school uniform did not change those who wore it, in this instance, it may help these little Indians to be judged, as are other boys, by what they say and do” (La Flesche xv). While Japanese Americans aimed to maintain a positive image in the eyes of the public by appearing a certain way, or looking aesthetic, the school uniforms imposed by the European school systems in America imposed an image on Native Americans whereby their mental qualities (not their physical appearance) could be judged. Japanese Americans were aware that they were being judged visually, so they did their best to make good impressions. Part of the reason why Japanese Americans used a visual medium like photography to show their worth was because it was one of the only ways that they were able to do so. If there were opportunities to display their mental or patriotic value in the internment camps, then surely they would take advantage of such opportunities. But photographs were what the public saw, so Japanese Americans focused their efforts on their image. The Omaha Indians that La Flesche speaks about also had a concern for their image, but they were not judged on their appearance as much as their intellect. In their capacity as students, Omaha Indians proved themselves to the public. Both Japanese Americans and Omaha Indians were compelled to uphold their image, and they did so in different ways. In the end, both of these groups were limited in their ability to represent themselves fully and live according to their own cultures. Omaha Indian children were not able to experience their own educational process or dress in their cultural clothes, while Japanese American internees were prevented from demonstrating their loyalty and patriotism as well as celebrating their Japanese culture because of their placement in the internment camps.