ca. 1910. Chinook Female Profile - "Skokomish Female - type" Photo by Edward S. Curtis. Scanned from Asahel Curtis lantern slide. Original photograph appears in The North American Indian, v.8 between pp. 86-87. The permanent villages of the Chinook tribes, constructed of imposing cedar board houses, once extended from the banks of the Columbia River and the rushing waters of the Dalles all the way to the sea. They occupied a land of abundant food and lived mostly on salmon. The trading post at Astoria was established in 1811 and Fort Vancouver in 1825. The fur traders brought the twin scourges of disease and alcohol. Whole villages of Chinook were decimated.
Indians of North America--Chinook--1910-1920; Women--Indians of North America; Indians of North America--Portraits;
ca. 1914. Coming for the Bride - Qagyuhl "Wedding Party - Kwakiutl" Photograph by Edward S. Curtis. Scanned from Asahel Curtis, hand tinted lantern slide. Original photo appears in The North American Indian, v.10 Plate # 337. The Kwakiutl is a broad term used to describe the native tribes on the coast of British Columbia; the native word Qagyuhl describes the sub tribe resident at Fort Rupert. Marriage among the poor took place without ceremony, but with people of rank betrothal and marriage was ruled by customs and traditions. On the morning of the wedding day, a war canoe would be sent to the home of the bride. In the forward portion is a wooden effigy of a thunderbird. Behind the man in the bow is seated the human effigy. He wears a headdress representing the creature and a robe of eagle tail feathers and he imitates the bird by gesture and cry. They halt in front of the bride's home to sing, dance and make speeches. Hoping to raise funds for the publishing of his 40 volume North American Indian opus, Edward Curtis made a full length motion picture of the Kwakiutl way of life, "In the Land of the Headhunters." Work on the film ended in 1914 and it was considered a masterpiece. However, it was a financial disaster, only ever shown in New York City's Casino Theater and in Seattle. It gathered dust until 1924, when he sold the uncut master print and negatives to the American Museum of Natural History for $1500 and the resignation of all rights. It was later restored in 1972 and released as "In the Land of the War Canoes."
Indians of North America--Kwakiutl; Indians of North America--Canoes; Indians of North America--Rites & ceremonies;
Undated photograph of an elderly Native American with tribal markings. Tepees and other Native Americans in background. Boland Studios made a copy of this photograph on September 11, 1925.
In 1922, Marvin Boland photographed an unidentified Native American in headdress and tribal clothing who gazed pensively at a pond located at Wright Park. He had one foot on a rock at the edge of a pathway and the other on dry land. TPL-8838; G5.1-027
Indigenous peoples--Washington; Headdresses; Wright Park (Tacoma);
On January 18, 1928, two unidentified Native American women were photographed weaving baskets while seated outside a wood-framed building. They have their heads down as they concentrate on their work. TPL-1546; G4.1-048
Japanese American children from Fife line up on the steps of the First Presbyterian Church on February 8, 1928, dressed in traditional kimonos and with open fans. The tall young lady in the center of the photograph is their teacher, Miss Jones, who wears a kimono with thick obi. The positioning of the young girls on the steps resembles a gently opened fan. That afternoon the First Presbyterian Church sponsored a "Tea of Nations" which attracted 400 guests. Many countries in which the church had missionary programs were featured in a pageant of nations; these young girls may have been invited as representatives of Japan. They would be led in song by Miss Jones. G39.1-188A (Tacoma Sunday Ledger, 2-5-28, D-1-article on Tea of Nations)
Japanese Americans--Tacoma; Children--Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1920-1930; Kimonos; Fans (Accessories);
Tacoma Buddhist Shoso-kwai. The Shoso-kwai, which may have translated to "youth meeting," poses outdoors, sans coats, on February 19, 1928. The young girls belonged to the Tacoma Buddhist Church which met at the site of the Columbus Hotel on Market St. Two years later in 1930, the church would move to its present location on Fawcett Avenue. G39.1-189; TPL-2840.
Japanese Americans--Tacoma; Clubs--Tacoma--1920-1930;
Sepia photograph of Japanese American children in colorful kimonos and obis, carrying open fans. Posed against the peaceful setting of the First Presbyterian Church on February 8, 1928, these young Japanese American girls from Fife are dressed in traditional costume. The two children kneeling in front have musical instruments in their laps. At center is their teacher, Miss Jones, who is also dressed in a kimono. The First Presbyterian had a "Tea of Nations" that afternoon which was attended by 400 women. Countries where the Presbyterian Church had missions were featured; this class of young children would be singing at the event. G39.1-188B (Tacoma Sunday Ledger, 2-5-28, D-1-article on Tea of Nations)
Japanese Americans--Tacoma; Children--Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1920-1930; Kimonos; Fans (Accessories); First Presbyterian Church (Tacoma);
This young unidentified Japanese-American couple was married in a Buddhist ceremony on December 11, 1927, at the Hiroshimaya Hotel, 1355 Market Street. The bride appears to have had an attendant who is holding a large bouquet of flowers and four junior attendants. The Buddhist minister, in ornamental robes, is standing behind the newlyweds. The wedding party and guests, all dressed in Western attire, are posed beneath a canopy; each section of the canopy has a similar circular design. TPL-2838; G39.1-186
Japanese Americans--Tacoma; Weddings--1920-1930; Grooms (Weddings)--1920-1930; Brides--1920-1930; Wedding costume--1920-1930;
Herbert Hoover, then Secretary of Commerce, signed the Indian "Pledge to the Mountain" to honor Mt. Rainier on the rooftop of the Hotel Winthrop on August 21, 1926. An unidentified Indian maiden helps to unroll the scroll. Mr. Hoover, who would later become the 31st President of the United States, was given the name Chief Coolee-Chuck ("Running Water"). The pledge was administered entirely in the Chinook language. In it, Mr. Hoover swore and promised by the Great Spirit of the Mountain to journey whenever possible to the "Mountain that was God" in order to breathe in the pure air, drink the sparkling waters, and gaze upon its wondrous beauties. He promised to acquaint himself with the lore of the red men and learn about the legends of the mountain's origins and sacredness. Should he violate this solemn obligation, he could foresee his wickiup burning, racehorses dying and coyotes devouring all his rabbits. Secretary Hoover was in Tacoma as a guest of the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce and addressed a large group of about 300 businessmen at the Hotel Winthrop on the "Future of Foreign Trade." This photograph was modified by the photographer: a clearer view of Mount Rainier was added, and the Brotherhood Bank's signage reversed and building itself extended upward. TPL-5447; G68.1-028 (TNT 8-21-26, p. 1)
Hoover, Herbert; Indians of North America--Tacoma--1920-1930; Document signings--Tacoma; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
A Japanese American wedding party with their many guests posed on December 6, 1925 outside the building at South 17th and Market Streets that housed the Tacoma Jujitsu School and the Columbus Hotel. The bride, groom and attendants, as well as guests, are all dressed in American attire. Rather then wear a traditional shiromuku wedding kimono, the bride appears to be completely and stylishly dressed in a contemporary white dress, including a long lace veil, and carries a large bouquet of flowers. No one, with the exception of the two youngsters on the far right, appears to be smiling. G39.1-184; TPL-1438.
Japanese Americans--Tacoma; Weddings--Tacoma--1920-1930; Wedding costume--1920-1930; Grooms (Weddings)--1920-1930; Brides--1920-1930;
These Native American girls were taking a sewing class at the Cushman Indian School on the Puyallup Reservation in June of 1918. The goal of Native American education from 1880-1920 was to assimilate the children into the dominant European culture, removing them from traditional Indian ways. One method was to remove them from their families and enroll them in government run boarding schools. By 1910, the Puyallup Indian School had become the Cushman Indian School, a large industrial boarding school, hosting over 350 students from the Northwest and Alaska. The school's focus was training the students for a place as a laborer in an industrialized America. During WWI the Red Cross entered into a partnership with schools to produce needed goods for the war torn countries. The girls in this photograph are probably sewing for the Red Cross. The boarding school closed in 1920. G39.1-163; TPL-2822
Cushman Indian School (Tacoma); Boarding schools--Puyallup Reservation; Sewing--1910-1920; Sewing machines--1910-1920;
ca. 1886. Several long boats (Indian canoes) rest on the beach at about Fifth and Pacific in Tacoma in this photograph from the mid 1880s. Long boats could transport a whole family with supplies for a season of fishing. This group of boats is probably preparing to head upstream on the Puyallup River where members of the Puyallup tribe worked in the hop fields of the Puyallup Valley. The Puyallups are part of the Puget Sound Salish original peoples. They were hunters, gatherers and fishermen, although they inhabited permanent houses along the riverbanks and along the Sound. Salmon was their main food and figured strongly in their culture. Under the Treaty of Medicine Creek, the tribe ceded much of their territories but retained fishing rights. Rutter Collection TPL-564
Longboats--Tacoma--1890-1900; Indians of North America--Tacoma--1890-1900;
A Native American chief in headdress and buckskins gazes at the remainder of downed trees on November 27, 1954. He is standing on a trailer hitch of the large truck that will haul the giant peeler log through the streets of Bellingham as part of a parade. Georgia-Pacific Plywood Co. had arranged for several giant Douglas firs to be cut and transported for this special parade. Photograph ordered by Georgia-Pacific Plywood Co. TPL-8281