Pine Ridge South Dakota Sioux Indians Two Strike Band Butcher 1908 Real Photo Postcard
The image features the Two Strike Band, led by Chief Two Strike (Nomkahpa), a prominent leader of the Sicangu (Brulé) Lakota. Photographed at Pine Ridge Reservation in 1891, this period immediately followed the Wounded Knee Massacre of December 1890, a devastating event that marked the end of major armed conflict between the U.S. government and the Lakota people. The reservation was a site of immense change and cultural suppression as the Lakota grappled with the forced assimilation policies of the era.
Samuel D. Butcher, a notable photographer of the American West, copyrighted this image in 1908, though it was taken years earlier. His work, like this photograph, provides valuable documentation of Indigenous life and culture during a time of immense transition and hardship for Native American nations. Such photographs serve as vital records, capturing the presence and resilience of Lakota people as they navigated the profound societal shifts brought about by westward expansion and reservation policies.
Samuel D. Butcher, a notable photographer of the American West, copyrighted this image in 1908, though it was taken years earlier. His work, like this photograph, provides valuable documentation of Indigenous life and culture during a time of immense transition and hardship for Native American nations. Such photographs serve as vital records, capturing the presence and resilience of Lakota people as they navigated the profound societal shifts brought about by westward expansion and reservation policies.
