Beautiful portraits from 1910 – First Nation People of Alberta

These magnificent portraits  that you are about to see, were taken by the  Canadian photographer Harry Pollard, whose specialty was photographing First Nations.

These amazing people are true examples of not just surviving but thriving in the wilderness; they were at one with the land, competent and capable and truly inspirational.

If we had a time travel machine here at Outdoor Revival HQ, I have a good idea of when we’d be setting it for and who we’d want to visit.

Here are the historic people of Alberta, Canada.

Assiniboine camp

First Nations in Alberta are indigenous peoples who live in the Canadian province of Alberta.

Big Belly, Tsuu T’ina chief. Calf Robe Chief Duck

The First Nations are those peoples (or nations) recognized as Aboriginal peoples in Canada excluding the Inuit and the Métis.

According to the Canadian census, in 2001 a population of 84,990 Albertans reported a “North American Indian” (i.e. First Nations) identity, rising to 116,670 in 2011 or 13.7% of all First Nations people in Canada.

Giving Alberta the third largest First Nations population among the provinces and territories (after Ontario and BC).

From this total around half of the population lives on an Indian reserve (58,782 Registered Indians lived on-reserve in Alberta in 2005).

Chief White Head, Nakoda chief. Herbert Lawrence of Siksika Nation Jim Rabbit, Kainai Nation Joe Big Plume of Tsuu T’ina Nation Lone Walker Lone Walking Buffalo, Nakoda Nation Martin Breaker, Nakoda Nation Martin Horses of the Kainai Nation. Mrs. Thomas of Tsuu T’ina Nation.

The rest of the population lives off-reserve, amongst the rest of the Canadian population. Many of these are urban

Aboriginals living in cities, especially Edmonton (the provincial capital) which had an off-reserve status population of 18,210 people in 2011, the second highest for any city in Canada (after Winnipeg).

All photos by Harry Pollard/Provincial Archives of Alberta

Old Tom, Tsuu T’ina Nation Peter Wesley, Nakoda Nation Rabbit Carrier. Raw Eater of Siksika Nation Red Leggings Running Antelope, Tsuu T’ina shaman. Savage Hunting Eagle, Nakoda Nation Spring Chief Walking Buffalo of Nakoda Nation Wide Face Chief of Piikani Nation Wolfe Caller of Siksika Nation Wolfe Robe Wolfe Teeth of Nakoda Nation.

Besides this there were 19,945 people in Alberta in 2011 who claimed a North American Indian identity on the census but are not part of the official Indian Register; such people are commonly called “non-status Indians”.

There are 48 First Nations or “bands” in Alberta (in the sense of governments made up of a council and a chief), belonging to nine different ethnic groups or “tribes” based on their ancestral languages.