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Dan Aadland, author, teacher and avid outdoorsman, holds a Ph.D. in American Studies.  His friend, Varble Tuell, pestered him into writing a book about Varble’s mother, Julia.  Thank you, Varble.   Women and Warriors of the Plains gives the world a glimpse of a truly incredible pioneer woman and the world she preserved and shared through her photographs.  The book is more than the tale of a 16-year-old bride who accompanies her husband to teach Plains Indians in government schools on the reservations.   Biographical vignettes give insight into her life as a pioneer woman, mother, nurse, auto mechanic, teacher, and world-class photographer.  The stories in this book are totally engrossing from the biography of Julia Tuell to the stories of the people, places, and activities she captured with her Eastman Kodak 8x10 glass-plate camera.  Aadland states “That Julia Tuell shows in her work a deep appreciation for all aspects of the Cheyenne (and later, Sioux) life and culture makes her a woman ahead of her time” (p. 14).

The photographs and text combine to tell the story of the Plains Indians and the hard life they lived on the reservations.  Most of the photographs are of the Northern Cheyenne at Lame Deer, Montana, and of the Sioux at the Rosebud reservation. The stories and photographs show dignified people at work, at play and in social interaction.  Aadland has skillfully woven the story of the Native Americans around Tuell’s photographs.  Tuell’s pictures show an understanding of  Native Americans that was built on her experience with and respect for the people she photographed.  In fact the reader can see that there is a great friendship and trust between Tuell and many of the people she photographed and with whom she was photographed.  Because of this very special relationship between the photographer and her subjects, we are given a privileged glimpse into the daily life and culture of several Indian tribes.  One outstanding example is that in 1911 Tuell was allowed to take pictures of the Massaum, an important ceremony of the Northern Cheyenne.  These rare photographs, together with Aadland’s text, provide the reader with a better understanding of an important Cheyenne ceremony. 

  Tuell’s prowess as a photographer can be seen in all her photos, but one example that shows just how good she was is “A Madonna of the Rosebud” found on page 57, in black and white, and opposite page 91, beautifully tinted with watercolors.  An example of how hard she worked to take good photographs can be seen on pages 26 and 27.  The first shows her clearing brush so she can take the photo of Sioux Chief John Fast Horse, p. 27.

  Aadland  notes “that Julia Tuell and her camera were in the right places at the right time, that she captured things which floated by as if in a swift creek, soon to disappear forever” (p. 172).  The world of Northern Plains Indians literature is much richer because of Julia Tuell’s photographs, and Dan Aadland has added explanatory text to make them even more meaningful.

Anyone who has an interest in the Indians of North America, especially those of the Northern Plains, will enjoy this book.  Photography buffs and historians who study the life of the Plains Indians of North America will also find this book very interesting.  There are notes for each chapter and a bibliography.  I would highly recommend this book to all libraries.