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History of the Inter-Cooperative Council of Ann Arbor

Indian Braves

Item

Title
Indian Braves
Circus Name
The Union Circus
Date
May 8th, 1909
Location of Event
Ferry Field, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Creator
Emile Reed Low, collector
Subject
Three white men dressed in brownface pretend to be Indigenous people
Description
Three white men, costumed as stereotypical Native Americans, wear thin gowns and feathered headdresses. Additionally, the men are covered in brown makeup to mimic some Indigenous skin tones. The photograph is inscribed "INDIAN BRAVES". It's likely these men are part of the Union Circus' "Michigamua Indians" student group. Importantly, all members of this group were white men.
Rights Holder
Bentley Historical Library
References
Photograph, 1907-1911, Emile Reed Low photograph series, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan
Item sets
Historic Circuses in Ann Arbor
Historic Circuses in Ann Arbor (Local)
Media
Indian Braves

Tags

Union Circus University of Michigan brownface brown face Indians costume ferry field Emile Reed Low scrapbooks Ann Arbor Native Indigenous whitewashing Michigamua Indians

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