Real Photos of Native Americans that Are Incredibly Fascinating

Long before European settlers colonized what would later become known as the United States, the land was owned by more than 570 Native American tribes. These tribes were spread throughout the region and each one had their own history, culture, creation myths, and traditions.

Sadly, the colonization process cost these cultures the land that had been theirs for so many centuries. Some tribes were lost forever. But these photos will reintroduce you to Native American history and change everything you thought was true about North American history.

Rabbit Tail of the Shoshone Tribe

Shoshone tribal member Rabbit Tail was photographed in 1895. But although his people fought against the United States in the Snake War and Bannock War, Rabbit Tail joined the U.S. army to fight against two common enemies—the Lakota and Cheyenne Tribes.

At the time, he helped the military in the Battle of the Rosebud, a conflict which ultimately led to the Battle of Little Bighorn. At the time, the Shoshone tribe lived in the Utah, Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming areas.

Navajo Silversmith Bae-ie-schluch-aichin

This Navajo silversmith was photographed by Ben Wittick in the 1890s. His name was Bae-ie-schluch-aichin, which roughly translates to “slender maker of silver.” The Navajo used to buy batches of silver while trading with Spanish colonists and didn’t become silversmiths until the 19th century.

At that time, Atsidi Sani, a Navajo silversmith in 1875 showed them the art of metalworking and crafting objects out of silver.

Hupa Tribesman Spear Fishing

This image taken by photographer Edward Curtis in 1923 shows a Hupa tribesman using a spear to catch fish in the river. This was a common practice by the men who needed to feed their wives and children.

The Hupa tribe, which was located in the northwestern part of California, lived near riverbanks which is why fishing for salmon was so common for their people.

Situwuka and Katkwachsnea

There’s very little information about Situwuka and Katkwachsnea, the Native American couple who posed for this photo in 1912.

All that’s certain is that a lot of Native Americans were being forced to relocate to reservations while the United States government continued to take more of their land during this time period.

In 1887, Native Americans owned 138 million aces of land, but by 1934 they only had 48 million acres left.