Four Unidentified Crow Indian Girls

This studio portrait of four unidentified young girls, possibly members of the Crow Indian tribe, was taken sometime between 1910 and 1922.

The girls stand together and wear dresses decorated with designs made from beads and quills, with fringe on the sleeve cuffs and hemline. They also wear belts and necklaces.

The studio that the photo was taken in appears somewhat rundown, with a rip in the carpet and discoloration of the walls behind them. 

Their story has become detached from the picture, like so many historic photos, we don't know who they were.

Their expressions show a wide range of emotions, from anxious, to resigned, surprised and wistful longing.

It's impossible to know what was happening with these children when the photo was taken.

However, the mistreatment of Native Americans was widespread and pervasive, with cruel and punishing laws to match. 

Click the image to zoom in (controls in upper-right hand corner of screen)... 

The Crow, whose autonym is Apsáalooke ([ə̀ˈpsáːɾòːɡè]), also spelled Absaroka, are Native Americans living primarily in southern Montana.

Today, the Crow people have a federally recognized tribe, the Crow Tribe of Montana,with an Indian reservation located in the south-central part of the state.

Crow Indians are a Plains tribe, who speak the Crow language, part of the Missouri River Valley branch of Siouan languages.

Of the 14,000 enrolled tribal members, an estimated 3,000 spoke the Crow language in 2007.

In historical times, the Crow lived in the Yellowstone River valley, which extends from present-day Wyoming, through Montana and into North Dakota, where it joins the Missouri River.

Since the 19th century, Crow people have been concentrated on their reservation established south of Billings, Montana.

Today, they live in several major, mainly western, cities. Tribal headquarters are located at Crow Agency, Montana. The tribe operates the Little Big Horn College.