Oldest Known Picture Of A Native American Village
The Cheyenne were North American Plains Indians who spoke an Algonquian language and inhabited the regions around the Platte and Arkansas rivers during the 19th century. Before 1700 the Cheyenne lived in what is now central Minnesota, where they farmed, hunted, gathered wild rice, and made pottery. They later occupied a village of earth lodges on the Cheyenne River in North Dakota; it was probably during this period that they acquired horses and became more dependent on the buffalo for food.
This particular image was taken from anywhere between 1853-1860, the exact date is unclear. But it was taken by early American photographer, Mathew B. Brady. He is best known for his depictions for the American Civil War. As more and more white settlers pushed west in the 1850s, the Cheyenne, along with their new allies, began to rebel against the pioneers, as well as the U.S. Army. When gold was discovered in Colorado, the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie was broken and the territory that had been ceded to them was taken away. This is the oldest known photo of a Native American Village.
