Thursday, December 17, 2009

The summer camp ...

Montana's Native American tribes -- some of them, at least -- received a fair amount of photographic attention in the early 20th century, as people realized that Indians' traditional way of life was beginning to disappear forever. Perhaps because of their historic association with the Custer battle, period images of the Crow tribe are particularly well-known, and some of them are among my favorites.

Here's a great shot from 1917 titled, "The Summer Camp." It was taken by a man named Richard A. Throssel, who had moved to the reservation in 1902 and extensively photographed the Crow and their culture. He had been made an honorary member of the tribe in 1905, receiving the Crow name, Esh Quon Dupahs, which means "Kills Inside the Camp."

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