History,CuriositiesAUG 22, 2025

30 Haunting Photos From Native American Boarding Schools In The 1910s

Mariia Tkachenko and Louise Pieterse

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In the 1910s, the United States government's policy toward Native Americans was one of forced assimilation, and its most powerful tool was the off-reservation boarding school. These schools were founded on an inhumane principle of eliminating the "Indian" to save the man. This means children were taken from families, usually by force, and put into boarding schools. At these schools, their hair would be cut, they would be dressed in military-style uniforms, and forced to abandon their native tongue. These gripping photographs show this profoundly complex time in American history and were often used as marketing material to show everyday Americans what kind of "progress" was being made by the policies. Looking back, these photos tell the heartbreaking story of a systematic effort to erase an identity, rather than a governmental success.

#21 Students In An Art Class At Phoenix Indian School

Native American boarding school students in an early 1900s classroom drawing portraits during art class.

Office of Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior

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4points

#22 Little Girls Praying Beside Their Beds, Phoenix Indian School, Arizona

Native American children in white gowns kneeling in prayer at a boarding school in the early 1900s hallway.

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

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4points

#23 Mary R. Hyde, Matron, And Students

Native American boarding school children from the 1910s, dressed in uniform with a teacher in a formal studio portrait.

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#24 Teacher And Young Boys Posed For Photograph At A Native American Boarding School

Group portrait of Native American boys and a teacher dressed in early 1900s uniforms at a boarding school.

Wikimedia Commons

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3points

#25 The Photographer Is Unknown, But It Was Likely Taken By Frank Fuller Avery, The Superintendent Of Fort Spokane Indian Boarding School

Native American boarding school students in the 1910s engaged in chores inside a sparse classroom setting.

National Park Service

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#26 Children Working In A School's Garden

Children working in garden rows outside a large building at a Native American boarding school in the 1910s.

Wikimedia Commons

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#27 A Photo Of Home Economics Class At The Pipestone Indian Training School In Minnesota With Several Girls In Aprons Working On Kitchen Tasks

Native American girls in 1910s boarding school home economics class preparing food around a stove in a classroom.

Pipestone County Historical Society via Minnesota Digital Library

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#28 Students And Staff Of The Pipestone Indian Training School In Minnesota Posing For A Photo By A School Bus

Group of Native American children and staff posing with a school bus outside a boarding school in the 1910s.

Pipestone County Historical Society via Minnesota Digital Library

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#29 Hotograph Of Children And Grounds Of Carson/Stewart Indian School

Group of Native American boys from boarding schools in the 1910s standing and sitting on an old truck outdoors.

Bureau of Indian Affairs

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#30 Photograph Of Children And Grounds Of Carson/Stewart Indian School

Black and white photo of Native American children under wooden beams at a boarding school garden walkway in the 1910s.

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

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2points

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Mariia TkachenkoBoredPanda Staff

30 Haunting Photos From Native American Boarding Schools In The 1910s | Bored Panda