Subsistence Collection

Cottage on Benbecula, Outer Hebrides, Scotland
A cottage on the island of Benbecula, Outer Hebrides, northern Scotland, with inhabitants and cattle. Date: 1936

Tom Kod Peluk, Nome, Alaska, between c1903 and 1907. Creator: Lomen Brothers
Tom Kod Peluk, Nome, Alaska, between c1903 and 1907

Gathering abalones-Nakoaktok, c1910. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Gathering abalones-Nakoaktok, c1910. Kwakiutl woman gathering abalones, Washington

Navaho hogan, c1905. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Navaho hogan, c1905

Navaho hogan in Cañon del Muerta, c1906. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Navaho hogan in Canon del Muerta, c1906

The mountain sheep hunter-Sioux, c1905. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
The mountain sheep hunter-Sioux, c1905. Man standing holding a rifle and a bow

The whaler-Clayoquot, c1910. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
The whaler-Clayoquot, c1910. Nootka Indian standing on shore with spear

Qahatika women resting in Harvest Field-Qahatika, c1907. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Qahatika women resting in Harvest Field-Qahatika, c1907. Three Qahatika women sitting on ground with kiho carriers and pot nearby, saguaro cacti and mountains in background

Fishing from a platform, c1923. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Fishing from a platform, c1923. Hupa Indian on platform over water using fishing net

The wokas season-Klamath, c1923. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
The wokas season-Klamath, c1923. Photograph shows a Klamath woman in a dugout canoe resting in a field of wokas, or great yellow water lilies (nymphaea polysepala) used as food

Buffalo berry gatherers-Mandan, c1908. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Buffalo berry gatherers-Mandan, c1908

Winnowing wheat, c1905. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Winnowing wheat, c1905. Tewa woman winnowing wheat in front of pueblo building

The fruit gatherers, c1905. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
The fruit gatherers, c1905. Two Tewa girls picking fruit with basket, bowls on the ground

The smelt fisher-Trinidad Yurok, c1923. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
The smelt fisher-Trinidad Yurok, c1923. Photograph shows a Yurok man fishing with a net, probably in the Trinidad area of California

Fishing platform on Trinity River-Hupa, c1923. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Fishing platform on Trinity River-Hupa, c1923. Photograph shows a Hupa man sitting on a platform on a rocky cliff, handling a fishing net

Preparing salmon-Wishram, c1910. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Preparing salmon-Wishram, c1910. Tlakluit Indian woman, sitting on ground, placing salmon fillets on wood plank, woven reed mat in background, Washington State

Quiet waters-Yurok, c1923. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Quiet waters-Yurok, c1923. Yurok man standing on rock ledge holding fishing line in one hand and pole down into the water below with the other hand

Zuni gardens, c1927. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Zuni gardens, c1927

Cornfields of Cañon del Muerto, 1906, c1907. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Cornfields of Canon del Muerto, 1906, c1907. Navajo Indian cornfield, cliffs in background

Cutting up a beluga-Kotzebue, c1929. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Cutting up a beluga-Kotzebue, c1929. Three women cutting up a beluga whale

Acoma water carriers, c1905. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Acoma water carriers, c1905. Four Acoma Indians gather to collect water

Cleaning wheat-San Juan, c1905. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Cleaning wheat-San Juan, c1905. Two Tewa people processing wheat outside pueblo structure, San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico

Pounding fish-Wishram, c1910. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Pounding fish-Wishram, c1910. Tlakluit woman seated with mortar and pestle

The piki maker-Hopi, c1906. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
The piki maker-Hopi, c1906. Hopi woman making bread inside pueblo

In the village of Santa Clara, c1905. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
In the village of Santa Clara, c1905. Two Pueblo women carrying jugs on their heads; trees, rail fence, stick structure along dirt path in the background

In camp, 1908, c1908. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
In camp, 1908, c1908. Two Dakota Sioux Indians cutting meat and drying it on poles

Drying whale meat-Hooper Bay, c1929. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Drying whale meat-Hooper Bay, c1929. Eskimo with whale meat on poles, Hooper Bay, Alaska

Gilyak fishermen, 1865-1871. Creator: VV Lanin
Gilyak fishermen, 1865-1871. This album contains 154 photographs taken in the second half of the 1860s and 1870s by a local photographer from the Far East, V. V. Lanin. The merchant V. P

Inhabitants of the island of Sitka (northwest coast of America), 19th century. One of 65 lithographs that were included in the volume of maps published after the round-the-world voyage of

Handmade basket shop, Thies, Senegal, West Africa, Africa

Pastry shop outside Ajmer Sharif Dargah, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India, Asia

Bean harvest in Machakos, Kenya, East Africa, Africa

Eskimos in Alaska: Drying whale meat, Hooper Bay, c1929. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Eskimos in Alaska: Drying whale meat, Hooper Bay, c1929

Drying Piahe-Yakima, 1909, c1910. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Drying Piahe-Yakima, 1909, c1910. Woman kneeling on ground, blanket spread out and covered with roots

Fishing camp-Skokomish, c1913. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Fishing camp-Skokomish, c1913. Skokomish couple outside house made of reed mats, one seated beside canoe that has been pulled onto the riverbank, the other standing holding a paddle

The piyake gatherer, c1910. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
The piyake gatherer, c1910. Woman in long dress and bandana stooped over collecting piyake (roots) with hand scythe, leather basket at waist, trees in background

Wishham (i.e. Wishram) fishing platform, c1910. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Wishham (i.e. Wishram) fishing platform, c1910. Tlakluit man, standing at the end of frame platform, holding fishing net containing fish caught in a natural rock weir below

Washing wheat-San Juan, c1905. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Washing wheat-San Juan, c1905. Two San Juan Indians dipping baskets of wheat into an acequia, or irrigation ditch, to dissolve dirt and to float away debris from the wheat kernels

A load of fuel-Zuni, c1903. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
A load of fuel-Zuni, c1903. Zuni man beside burro laden with firewood

Shores of Walker Lake-Paviotso, c1924. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Shores of Walker Lake-Paviotso, c1924. Paviotso man standing on rock, fishing with spear in Walker Lake

The Bowman-Nootka, c1910. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
The Bowman-Nootka, c1910. Rear view of Indian standing on rock in water and aiming arrow

A Navaho farm, c1906. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
A Navaho farm, c1906. Patches of corn in garden between canyon walls

Winter hunter[s]-Apsaroke, c1908. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Winter hunter[s]-Apsaroke, c1908. Two Apsaroke men on horseback riding down a snow-covered hillside

Ready for the throw-Nunivak, c1929. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Ready for the throw-Nunivak, c1929. Eskimo man seated in a kayak prepares to throw spear

Home of the Havasupai, c1903. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Home of the Havasupai, c1903. Havasupai woman seated in doorway of wickiup made from small trees, brush, reeds and earth; peach orchard blooms in background, sandstone canyon wall behind

The brush-gatherers-Arikara, c1908. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
The brush-gatherers-Arikara, c1908. Group of Arikara women in single file carrying bundles of sticks

When winter comes, c1908. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
When winter comes, c1908. Dakota woman, carrying firewood in snow, approaches tipi

Drying meat, c1908. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Drying meat, c1908. Two Dakota women hanging meat to dry on poles, tent in background

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"Exploring the resilience of subsistence: glimpses into lives shaped by necessity" The humble cottage on Benbecula, nestled in the breathtaking landscapes of Outer Hebrides, Scotland, stands as a testament to the enduring spirit living. Transporting us back to the early 1900s, a Donegal Farm House in Ireland paints a vivid picture of self-sufficiency and resourcefulness amidst challenging times. In Thies, Senegal, West Africa, an enchanting handmade basket shop showcases the intricate craftsmanship that sustains communities through generations. Delving into history, an engraving captures the struggles faced by Irish Whiteboys who fought for their subsistence rights against oppressive forces. Unveiling a dark chapter in Germany's past, an engraving depicts Bread Riots at Stettin in 1847—a stark reminder of how access to basic sustenance can ignite unrest. Journeying across continents to Grays Harbor County in Western Washington during 1939 reveals subsistence farms carved out from stumps—an inspiring tale of determination and adaptation captured by Dorothea Lange's lens. Hand irrigation on small rented plots further exemplifies the ingenuity employed by farmers striving for survival on these Western Washington subsistence farms during that same era. Turning our attention eastward to Pennsylvania's Westmoreland County in 1935 unveils the transformative power of community-driven projects like Westmoreland project—empowering individuals with sustainable means for their livelihoods under trying circumstances. Walker Evans' lens transports us to Reedsville, West Virginia in 1936 where we witness firsthand how families navigate life on a subsistence basis—finding solace and strength within close-knit communities. In each corner of this diverse world lies evidence that when confronted with adversity and limited resources, humanity has always found ways to sustain itself through sheer resilience and unwavering determination.