NEW TOWN A collection of photos taken by frontier photographers of people and places on the Fort Berthold Reservation can be viewed during an open house Thursday from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Three Tribes Museum west of New Town.

During the open house, visitors will have "hands-on" experience to observe images stereographs through antique stereo-viewers. They will also be able to see photos on PowerPoint and poster boards, and in albums.

The collection of early day photos of people and places on Fort Berthold were donated by Evan Tonsing, a retired music professor from Glencoe, Okla. He's also providing the stereo-viewers which are used to view the stereographs.

"His mission is to return pictures to tribes which he has acquired from other museums," said Marilyn Hudson, administrator of the Three Tribes Museum. "He said he's always had this ambition ... and that the music and photography should really go back to the people. That's really his mission."

Hudson said Tonsing visited Fort Berthold and the museum about two years ago. At that time, returned music to the Three Affiliated Tribes that he had transferred from cylinder records to CDs.

Beginning in the late 1860s, frontier photographers took pictures of people and places at Like-a-Fishhook Village and Fort Berthold. Many of them are stereographs that become 3-D images when seen through a viewer.

The exhibit contains photographs by Stanley Morrow, John Carbutt, Edward Curtis and other late 19th century and early 20th century photographers, Hudson said. She said the earliest photos are from 1863.

Tonsing retired in May after teaching music for 47 years, with most of that time at Oklahoma State University at Stillwater, Okla. He said he first started returning music to tribes and now is returning photos. He said most of the photos were purchased from museums.

He said some of the stereographs that have gone to the Three Tribes Museum "are quite fine, some are damaged with age."

He said the photos taken by Edward Sheriff Curtis are "just stunning." He said Curtis took "remarkable photos" of tribal elders. Curtis took most of his photos with a large camera using glass plates.

"Curtis was at Fort Berthold in 1908. He took quite a few photos here and two of them are of Old Dog, who is my grandfather," Hudson said.

"The thing to notice is the faces are so expressive," Tonsing said of the Curtis photos.

Tonsing has donated to the museum about 100 photos actual photographs, stereographs and a variety of other art photography, Hudson said.

"The whole idea is returning to the people and help nourish the cultural life of these nations," Tonsing said.

For more information about the open house contact the Three Tribes Museum at 627-4477 or e-mail

tatmuseum@restel.net.