Parting of the Ways, Green River (triptych)
JULIE SHAFER’S PARTING OF THE WAYS, GREEN RIVER (TRIPTYCH) (2020) is part of a larger series of photographs, rubbings, and short stories titled Parting of the Ways that documents the thousands of pioneers who traveled westward in search of a better life– a desire that permanently changed the land and way of life for several indigenous communities. By photographing the wagon ruts, names etched in stone, and other physical marks left on the landscape by this migration, Shafer explores ideas of emancipation, liberty, and freedom in the history of the American West. One of these locations, Names Hull, has thousands of carvings decorating its walls. These panels show astonishing human acts of destruction, peril, and risk, some of which question American ideals of liberty. Images of battle, indigenous peoples being forcibly relocated to reservations are contrasted by the landmark symbol of manifest destiny: the railroad.