Pacific Northwest Native Indian Man with Spider Crab Real Photo Postcard

The postcard depicts an Indigenous individual with a collection of spider crabs, likely a catch from coastal waters. The term "Native" historically refers to Indigenous peoples, and the subject's attire suggests a working individual, perhaps a fisherman or gatherer, engaging in traditional sustenance activities. Spider crabs (Majoidea), often referred to as decorator crabs due to their habit of camouflaging themselves, are found in various marine environments globally, with specific species inhabiting coastlines from the Pacific Northwest to the Atlantic.

This image, likely dating from the early 20th century, captures a facet of Indigenous life and traditional resource management during a period of significant change for many communities. Coastal Indigenous peoples throughout North America have extensive histories of marine harvesting, integrating crabs and other shellfish into their diets, economies, and cultural practices for millennia. Postcards like this served to document or, in some cases, exoticize, aspects of Indigenous cultures for a wider, predominantly non-Indigenous audience, reflecting the ethnographic interests and colonial perspectives of the era.