Native American man in headdress on horseback.

Image title: Fastening the Harpoon Point. The North American Indian, v.11, pg. 30.

Indians of North America--Nootka--1910-1920; Men--Indians of North America; Indians of North America--Portraits;

Image title: Hamasilahl - Qagyuhl. The North American Indian, v. 10, p.228.

Indians of North America--Kwakiutl--1910-1920; Clothing and dress--Indians of North America; Indians of North America--Portraits;

Image title: Coathair blanket - Cowichan. The North American Indian, v. 9, p. 72.

Indians of North America--Salishan--1910-1920; Weaving--Indians of North America;

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;

Image title: Stlĭná of Massett - Haida. The North American Indian, v. 11, p. 148.

Indians of North America--Haida--1910-1920; Men--Indians of North America; Indians of North America--Portraits;

Image title: Costume of a woman Shaman - Clayoquot. The North American Indian, v. 11, p. 54.

Indians of North America--Nootka--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;

ca. 1912. Puget Sound Baskets Photograph by Edward S. Curtis. Scanned from Asahel Curtis lantern slide. Original print appears in The North American Indian, v.9 Plate # 309. Basketry was a prominent industry of the native women. A water-tight basket was made for hauling water, cooking with hot stones and berry picking. This type of basket was tightly coiled. A more flexible, softer woven basket was used for storing and carrying personal effects. A much larger basket of a rougher weave was used as a burden basket. It was carried on the back and used primarily for transporting clams and fish.

Indians of North America--Baskets;

ca. 1912. Puget Sound Camp - Skokomish. Photograph by Edward S. Curtis. Scanned from Asahel Curtis lantern slide. Original photograph published in "The North American Indian, v.9" Plate between pp. 48-49. TPL-8759

Indians of North America--Skokomish--1910-1920; Indians of North America--Shelters; Canoes;

ca. 1912. A mat shelter - Skokomish. Photograph by Edward S. Curtis. Scanned from Asahel Curtis lantern slide. Original photograph published in "The North American Indian, v.9" Plate appears between pp. 110 -111. The aboriginal name for the people occupying the region of Hood Canal on the Olympic Peninsula was the Twana. The largest community in this tribe was the Skokomish, the "Big River People." The Skokomish Reservation was created by the Point-No-Point treaty in 1855 and it encompasses almost 5,000 acres on the delta of the Skokomish River. During the winter months, the people resided in cedar plank houses. But during the other seasons, they resided in temporary, movable structures such as the one pictured, which they covered with woven mats. These structures could be moved from place to place during hunting and fishing seasons. The mats, hung on the framework of the structure, would keep out the wind and the rain. The mats were most commonly woven of cattail leaves or the inner bark of the cedar. Two women are picture outside of a structure, along with their canoe and woven baskets.

Indians of North America--Skokomish--1910-1920; Women--Indians of North America; Huts; Indians of North America--Shelters; Canoes; Baskets;

Image title: A typical Nez Percé. The North American Indian, v. 8, p. 4.

Indians of North America--Nez Percé--1910-1920; Men--Indians of North America; Indians of North America--Portraits;

Image title: Mat lodge - Yakima. The North American Indian, v. 7, p. 4.

Indians of North America--Yakima--1910-1920; Dwellings--Indians of North America;

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;

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.

Tipis; Indigenous peoples;

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);

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;

Native American and European Americans posing at Owens beach in informal as well as traditional dress.

"Indian Murals, Mural being painted at Cushman Hospital, Tacoma Arts, 1937." Artist Julius Twohy was photographed as he stood on a scaffold to create a mural across the 72 foot long dining room wall at the Cushman Hospital at 2002 East 28th Street. The artist was a member of the Ute tribe from the Uintah Basin in eastern Utah.

Members of Company B, 163rd Infantry pose at attention. Company B was composed almost entirely of Native Americans, mostly Sioux from the Fort Peck Indian Agency in Northeast Montana. They served in the Montana National Guard until they were inducted into national service in September of 1940. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, they were some of the first to be sent overseas, where they fought the Japanese on New Guinea and in the Philippines. Native Americans served in the Armed Forces at a disproportionately high rate in World War II. More than 44,000 served, out of a total population of less than 350,000, most of them as volunteers. Native Americans have the highest record of military service per capita when compared to other ethnic groups. (T.Times 12/11/1940 p.1)

Indians of North America--Sioux tribe; Montana National Guard, 163rd Infantry, Company B--Camp Murray; Ethnic groups--Indians of North America;

Members of the Montana National Guard, Company B, 163rd Infantry, 41st Division pose at attention for inspection. The company is composed primarily of Sioux from the Fort Peck Indian Agency. The company was inducted into federal service in September 1940 and sent to the Pacific. They were part of the most decorated army division in the Pacific Arena. (T.Times 12/11/1940 p.1) TPL-10595

Indians of North America--Sioux tribe; Montana National Guard, 163rd Infantry, Company B--Camp Murray; Ethnic groups--Indians of North America;

Nine Native American members of Company B 163rd Infantry, a Montana National Guard regiment composed primarily of Sioux Indians, stand for inspection at Camp Murray in December of 1940. This unit reformed in 1922, the original Company B had also been comprised of Native Americans and served in World War I. Partially because of the outstanding volunteer effort of Native Americans during World War I, in 1924 Congress granted U.S. citizenship to all Native Americans. One result of this action was that native men between the age of 21 and 35 became eligible for the draft under the Selective Training and Service Act of September 16, 1940. However, most Native Americans served on a volunteer basis. More than 44,000 of them, out of a total population of less than 350,000, served with distinction between 1941 and 1945. (T. Times 12/11/1940, pg. 1)

Indians of North America--Sioux tribe; Montana National Guard, 163rd Infantry, Company B--Camp Murray; Ethnic groups--Indians of North America;

A diminutive drill sergeant adjusts the helmet chin strap on one of the soldiers from Company B, 163rd Infantry during inspection. Company B was part of the Montana National Guard and was composed almost exclusively of Sioux Indians from the Fort Peck reservation. They were inducted into federal service in September of 1940 and were based out of Fort Lewis. After Pearl Harbor, they were among the first troops sent to the Pacific, where they served bravely for the duration of World War II. TPL-1955 (T. Times 12/11/1940, pg. 1)

Indians of North America--Sioux tribe; Montana National Guard, 163rd Infantry, Company B--Camp Murray; Ethnic groups--Indians of North America;

Native Americans, listed in Richards records as Margie, Abraham, Charlie and others, gather under a tree at the annual tribal gathering in the Puyallup Valley at hop picking time. The Native Americans will pick the hops during the day and gather at night to socialize and play ancient games with other tribe members from Washington and British Columbia. (T. Times 8/30/1934, pg. 1+)

Indians of North America; Migrant agricultural laborers--Puyallup--1930-1940; Migrant laborers--1930-1940; Hops;

Copy of customer print. Native Americans camping in hops field. Huddled together between three tents is a crowd of Native American families. They may have been employed at Ezra Meeker's hop fields prior to 1900. Photograph ordered by Washington State Historical Society.

Indians of North America; Hops;

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Indians, Nisqually

A person in rubber boots weighs a bucket

Catherine Frank, left, stands beside husband James V. Mills. Frank is a Nisqually tribal member and Mills is a Yakima tribal member. Also pictured: mother, blanket keeper, left, and food basket keeper at right.

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Indians, Nisqually

Nisqually law enforcement officers, Jack Jewart, left, and Clyde Parsons, check over their new patrol boat at the Steilacoom Marina. The boat will be used for tribal fisheries regulation enforcement on Puget Sound.

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Indians, Nisqually

Back of Photo:
Fireworks stands fizzle
Puyallup Indian fireworks stands that boomed with business on the reservation last week lie fizzled out after the July Fourth celebration.
photo by Bruce Kellman

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Three-year-old Calvin Medina, Tacoma, checks out his competition and other tribal dress during the Puyallup tribe's Pow Wow. There was singing, dancing, eating, and competition for best dress and dance.
Photo by David Brandt