About the Project

The Once Called Project is a place-based storytelling initiative focused on restoring Blackfeet place names, stories, and meanings to the landscapes where they originate. Across Montana, many places on original Blackfeet land are known today by names that do not reflect their original significance. These original names carried teachings passed down through stories and lived experience.

This project brings those names and stories forward through multiple-exposure photographic edits and an interactive digital map that pairs original photography with literal translations, historical and cultural context, and elder audio recordings. The work centers on Blackfeet youth while also serving as an educational resource for schools and the broader public, offering a more accurate, place-based understanding of the land.

All imagery in the project, including layered multiple-exposure photographs, is created by the artist from original photographs taken on Blackfeet land. These visual translations place language and story directly into the contemporary landscape, emphasizing continuity rather than separation between past and present. The Once Called Project is intended as a living resource—one that supports cultural continuity, learning, and responsible engagement with Blackfeet history and place.