UC Riverside

Using the historical background of the New Deal era in the United States, this research focuses on a set of photographs from the Sherman Institute in Riverside, California, and examines how these images could be indicative of the unique nature of the boarding school within the broader context of American society. Taking into account the history of federal boarding schools for Native students, the treatment of indigenous arts and crafts, and the role of photography within New Deal policies, this manuscript aims to illuminate how American Indians during this time period were not just passive subjects, but were active participants in the formation of simultaneously Native and American identities.