Description

Two Anglo photographers taking pictures of Yavapai Indians' campsites on Yavapai Indian land near Prescott, Arizona.  Thumb Butte is in background to the right of center.

These types of Yavapai dwellings, called uwas, are domed huts framed with willow branches or other wood sticks then traditionally covered with layers of grass, bark, dirt, cloth and/or animal skins. In this photo the Yavapais are using various types of cloth and fabric to cover the uwa frames. 

The Yavapai Tribe’s rich history dates back centuries, when the women wove intricate baskets and the men were largely hunters and gatherers. The tribe’s first chief was Sam Jimulla, succeeded by his wife Viola. She was the first woman chieftess among North American Indians. There are three primary groups of Yavapai existing today - they are located at Fort McDowell, Camp Verde and Prescott.  The Yavapai-Prescott Indian Reservation consists of approximately 1,400 acres that are adjacent to the city of Prescott, Arizona in central Yavapai County. When it was established in 1935, the Yavapai Prescott Indian Reservation occupied only 75 acres of the former Fort Whipple Military Reserve in central Arizona. The first reservation established solely for the Yavapai, it continued to grow with the 1956 addition of 1,320 acres.

NOTE:  The original glass plate negative and print of this photo is located in the Bate Brothers Studio Collection, PC-1.

Sources:

Website - Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe.com

Book - "Surviving Conquest" by Timothy Braatz