A Collection Of Our Favorite Vintage Native American Photos
American Horse, Oglala Sioux. 1877
Born in 1840, American Horse the Younger had a diverse lift. He was an Oglala Lakota Chief, Statesman, Educator, and Historian. He was most famously known as a U.S. Army Indian Scout and strived for friendly associations with whites and promoting education for his people.
Chief Joseph the Younger
Chief Joseph led his band of Native Americans through one of the most turbulent periods during American history. During this time period, his tribe was forcibly removed from their ancestral lands by the federal government. The U.S forced his tribe northeast, onto a significantly smaller reservation. An occurrence of violent events led those Nez Perce who resisted removal, including Joseph's band to take flight in an effort to reach political asylum.
They were aggressively pursued by the U.S. Army led by General Oliver O. Howard. This 1,170 mile stretch of fighting retreat in 1877 became known as the Nez Perce War.
Kicking Bear
Kicking Bear, born in 1846 also known as Matȟó Wanáȟtake was an Oglala Lakota. Kicking Bear went on to become a band chief of the Miniconjou Lakota Sioux. He fought in several battles alongside his brother, Flying Hawk and first cousin, Crazy Horse.
Kicking Bear was one of the five warrior cousins who sacrificed blood and flesh for Crazy Horse at the Last Sun Dance of 1877. The purpose of the ceremony was to honor Crazy Horse one year after the victory at the Battle of the Greasy Grass and offer prayers for him for the difficult times ahead.
Scarface Charley
Scarface Charley, born in 1851 was a chief of the Modoc tribe of Native Americans. He played a critical role in the Modoc War of 1872-73 in California. He is considered to have fired first at the Battle of Lost River. In 1873, Scarfaced Charley led a brazen assault against a patrol of over 60 soldiers. He was credited with killing all five officers in the patrol, along with twenty other soldiers. It was reported he stopped the fighting and told the soldiers, “we've killed enough of you, now go home.”
Haskay-bay-nay-ntayl – The Apache Kid
Born in 1860, the Apache Kid was a White Mountain Apache scout who led a very colorful life. The Apache kid was everything from a military scout to a renegade on the run. The exact date of his birth is unknown and the time of his death is contested as well.
Captured by the Yuma Indians as a kid he was later freed by the U.S. Army where he became a street orphan within the camps. Around the middle of 1870, he was adopted by Al Sieber the Chief of the Army Scouts. Shortly later he enlisted with the US Cavalry as a scout in a program to help quell the Apache raids. He quickly rose up through the ranks due to his remarkable abilities on the job and was promoted sergeant.
His problems began when he was involved in a riot while intoxicated, as a result he was sent North to avoid sever penalties. Several years later The Apache kid was involved in an altercation between some of his fellow scouts during a party which resulted in several deaths. When confronted several shots were fired from the crowd that had gathered, this resulted in Sieber being injured. During the confusion The Apache Kid along with several others escaped.
The Apache Kid character in Marvel Comics was also named after him but otherwise has no connection.
If you enjoyed these images be sure to check out our gallery of vintage Native American photos. They are all public domain/free use. Feel free to use them for any projects, blogs, articles or whatever else you might be working on.