These haunting images offer a rare glimpse into a rapidly vanishing world. Long before Hollywood cowboys and romanticized myths took hold, these remarkable photographs captured the lives of Native Americans at a pivotal moment in history. Many were taken as the forced assimilation policies of the US government were actively dismantling tribal cultures and taking ancestral lands.
Look closely, and you'll see strength, resilience, and profound dignity etched on faces worn by hardship. These are not just pictures; they are testaments to a spirit that refused to be broken, even as the world around them changed forever. This carefully curated collection of 50 photographs serves as a powerful reminder of what was lost and a testament to the enduring legacy of a people who continue to fight for cultural survival today.
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A Klamath Chief Stands On A Hill Above Crater Lake, Oregon, 1923
O-O-Be, The Kiowas, 1894
Hattie Tom, Apache, 1899, By Frank A. Rinehart
A Crow Boy. 1907. Photo By Richard Throssel
An Apsaroke Mother And Child, 1908
Marcia Pascal, Half-Cherokee, Daughter Of U.S. Army Officer George W. Paschal, 1880s
Native American Child With Dog, C. 1910
Apache Girl And Papoose, 1903
Unidentified Native American Girl, Lakota, 1890
Monsheeda (Dust Maker), And His Wife Mehunga (Standing Buffalo), Of The Indigenous Ponca Tribe, Posed Together In Their Wedding Photo, Circa 1900
"Painted Tipis Of The Headmen", Blackfeet, Montana, Early 1900s, By Walter Mcclintock
A Jicarrilla Girl, C. 1910
Apache Girl With Basket, 1902, Photo By Carl Werntz
Ah-Weh-Eyu (Pretty Flower), Seneca Native American, 1908
Chief Little Wound And Family, Oglala Lakota, 1899, Photo By Heyn Photo
Sioux Chiefs, 1905
Native American Girl, 1870-1900
Gertrude Three Finger, Cheyenne, 1869-1904, By William E. Irwin
Philip Return From Scout, Lakota, Ca. 1880-1900, Photo By Geoffrey Duncan
Aunt Effie, An Elderly Navajo Woman, "Perhaps A 100 Years Old", 1880-1910
Native American Mother And Child, 1902
An Albino Native American Girl From The Hopi Tribe, 1886
Zitkala-Sa, Co-Founder Of The National Council Of American Indians, 1926
Minnehaha, 1904
Bone Necklace, Oglala Lakota Chief, 1899, Photo By Heyn Photo
Eagle Arrow, A Siksika Man, Montana, Early 1900s, Glass Lantern Slide By Walter Mcclintock
“Songlike”, A Pueblo Man, 1899, Photo By F.a. Rinehart
Mohave Woman, 1903
Cherokee Nanyehi, Lakota
Native American Girl In Traditional Dress
Alone Aka Chin Chin Wet (Wife Of Wey-A-Tat-Han), Warm Springs, Oregon, 1877, Photo By Briggs
White Man Runs Him, Crow, 1912
Chief Sitting Bull, Hunkpapa Lakota, 1895-1900, Photo By F. A. Rinehart
A Native American Man Looking Over The Newly Completed Transcontinental Railroad In Nevada, 1869
Walks-In-The-Water (Soya-Wa-Awachkai) And Her Baby Koumiski (Round Face), Siksika, Montana, Ear
My Friend's Great Grandma Posing In Traditional Maori Cloak C. 1920
A Group Of Navajo In The Canyon De Chelly, Arizona, 1904
Piegan Tepees, 1910
An Apache, Photo By F.a. Hartwell, Phoenix, Az. Ca.1880-1890
Native American Woman, C. 1910
Blackfeet Girl, Montana, Early 1900s, Glass Lantern Slide By Walter Mcclintock
Elsie Vance Chestuen, Chiricahua
"Sits Down Spotted," Crow Warrior, Fort Keogh, Montana, 1881, Photo By L.A. Huffman
A Canadian Cree Indian, 1920s
Indian Chief, 1920s
Bessie Big Beaver With Baby, 1880-1930
Arrowmaker, An Ojibwe Man, 1903
Chief John Smith (Chippewa Indian), It Was Tought That He Lived To 132 Y.o
Indians In A Reservation In Montana, 1920s
I have often wondered why a person is called "Wing of Eagles" or "Little Buffalo" or whatever it is, so I googled it. This is not racist, derogatory, or anything like that, just curiousity, and this might be of interest? https://nativetribe.info/how-do-natives-get-their-names-traditional-naming-practices/ Rather more interesting than my Dad being named Evelyn after his great-uncle! Feel free to downvote for don't like!
The Maori woman's photo is beautiful, but perhaps would be better on a different list?
One of the reasons this list is amazing is there was an ongoing superstition that the camera stole your soul, so many native Americans refused to be photographed. Those you see here represent thousands of people never caught on film.
I have often wondered why a person is called "Wing of Eagles" or "Little Buffalo" or whatever it is, so I googled it. This is not racist, derogatory, or anything like that, just curiousity, and this might be of interest? https://nativetribe.info/how-do-natives-get-their-names-traditional-naming-practices/ Rather more interesting than my Dad being named Evelyn after his great-uncle! Feel free to downvote for don't like!
The Maori woman's photo is beautiful, but perhaps would be better on a different list?
One of the reasons this list is amazing is there was an ongoing superstition that the camera stole your soul, so many native Americans refused to be photographed. Those you see here represent thousands of people never caught on film.
