Lodges
A tribe’s lifestyle influenced the types of dwellings they inhabited. Nomadic tribes that followed migratory prey and the seasonal changes of plant life needed housing structures that were easily erected and dismantled. Agricultural tribes, on the other hand, could enjoy more permanent dwellings, like pueblos.
This gallery presents daily life for late-19th-century Native American women of the plains and the desert southwest. Multiple tribes are pictured, so the story is a composite of early Native American life. Similarities in daily activities for women across tribes are presented.
The gallery highlights the nation-building roles of women and thus favors women-in-action images. Consequently, photographic qualities are sometimes secondary to the activity being shown.
A photographic portrayal of Native American life before the arrival of white culture is necessarily contaminated with evidence of Euro-American culture. Images show cotton, iron kettles, straw hats and umbrellas. Nevertheless, the activities of Native Americans, which this gallery emphasizes, can give us insightful glimpses into early American life.