Antique 1880 San Carlos Apache Ration Day Cabinet Card, Rbts & Coolidge,Arizona For Sale

Look closely at that packed line of terrified, starving little Indian girls. It's so wrong to starve children....This historical photograph depicts Navajo (Diné) captives held under armed guard by the United States Army at Fort Sumner during the tragic Bosque Redondo internment period, circa 1864–1865.Historical Context...
The Long Walk (1864): Following a brutal scorched-earth campaign led by Colonel Kit Carson under orders from General James H. Carleton, thousands of Navajo people were forced to walk over 300 miles from their traditional homelands in Arizona and New Mexico to a desolate reservation area known as Bosque Redondo.This historical photograph shows “Count” and “Ration Day” at the San Carlos Apache Reservation.This image captures a scene from circa 1878 where Apache families gathered near the federal agency buildings. Because they were confined to the reservation and unable to move freely to hunt and gather, the families depended heavily on the federal government for food rations.
Conditions at the Camp: The internment camp at Fort Sumner was plagued by crop failures, severe disease, lack of wood, brackish water, and starvation. Nearly a quarter of the interned population died due to these inhumane conditions.The Treaty of 1868: This dark chapter concluded on June 1, 1868, when Navajo leaders signed a historic treaty with the U.S. government, allowing them to leave the confinement of Fort Sumner and return to their sacred homeland.The text at the bottom identifies the studio responsible for the image: Roberts & Coolidge, Photographers.Your purchase will be lovingly packaged and shipped out to you. As soon as possible, sometimes as early as same day.