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Cultures of the Pacific Northwest group contract proposal
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CULTURES OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
I will sponsor a two quarter long group contract on cultures of the Pacific
Northwest. The first quarter will be spent reading ethnographies, studying
the archeological record of precontact, and reading accounts of early contact
written by fur traders, explorers and missionaries. Our aim will be to acquire
a broad and holistic view of native life in the Northwest, 2) to identify
cultures and/or topics of interest for individual research during the second
quarter, and 3) to become familiar with the methods and techniques used by
anthropologists in reconstructing cultural pasts.
We will begin the quarter with Erna Gunther's Indian Life on the Northwest
Coast of America and Philip Drucker's Cultures of the Northwest Coast. There
will be three field trips: to the Portland Art Museum to see the Rasmussen
collection of Northwest Coast Art, to Victoria to visit the Provincial Museum,
and to Ozette to visit an excavation under the direction of Washington State
University. Each student will read and be prepared to discuss one ethnography
per week and assigned papers. In addition, each student will be required to
prepare each week a short research paper on some problem in Northwest Coast
ethnology. Ethnographies to be studied Fall quarter will include, The Structure
of Twana Culture, William Elmendorf; The Bella Coola Indians, Thomas Mcilwraith;
Klallam Ethnography, Erna Gunther; Kwakiutal Ethnography, Franz Boas; Tsimshian
Clan and Society, Viola Garfield; and The Social Economy of the Tlingit, Karl
Oberg.
Second quarter will deal with theorectical questions in Northwest ethnology.
We will study arguments concerning the Northwest Coast Potlatch, concentrating
on developing an understanding .o f the ecological and the structuralist/alliance
models as applied to the Northwest ethnographic material. The first half of
the quarter will be spent studying economics and cultural ecology. The second
half of the quarter will b,e spent studying structuralism and alliance theory.
Lectures will supplement seminars, providing a background to theory and theory
development and placing Northwest examples in a broader context. Though the
material we study will be from the Northwest Coast, the students will gain a
good understanding of some major theoretical issues in anthropology.
Third quarter I will be open to accepting individual contracts for further
work in either Northwest material or anthropology.
Students should have a good grasp of seminar discussion techniques, willingness
to work long hours in the library, decent reading and writing skills, and at
least some familiarity with library research techniques. A background in
anthropology is not necessary but helpful. If the student has no background
in anthropology, he or she should read the booklet, "How to Study Anthropology
at The Evergreen State College", for an introduction to resources and should
do the self-paced introduction using the Hoebel textbook as described in the
booklet.
Admission to the group will be by interview and students are expected to present
portfolios (if already Evergreen students) or examples of past academic work
if transferring to the college.
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Betsy:
Problems which need to be
e~plor~d.
Budget must include cost of field trips mentioned.
Library should acquire multiple copies of ethnographies and
bookstore should be advised to at least make up a list of
all books with prices and availability since what I chose
for Fall will have to depend in part on that.
Will need a seminar room of our own • . . can't share . • • do stuff
with maps, display~, etc. and lots of library stuff and my
own stuff will be left in the room for work.
Max. 18 students unless some super ones come along.
some transfers wanting to do this.
I can imagine
Budget for reproducing some papers for study.
Additional ethnographies I'd like the library to be sure to have two of
and I'd like the bookstore to check on availability and cost of: (aside from
those mentioned above)
Ronald Olson, The Quinalt Indians
Marian Smith, · The Puyallup Nisqually
Drucker, Phillip, Indians of the Northwest Coast (Am. Museum of
Natl. History, Anthro. Handbook No. 10)
Duff, Wilson, The Indian History of British Columbia, in Anthropology
in British Columbia, British Columbia Provincial Museum, Memoir #5.
Murdock, Ethnographic Bibliography of North America, third edition,
HRAF press.
Verne, Ray, Lower Chinook Ethnographic Notes, U. of W. Press Publications
in .Anthropology.
James Swan, The Indians of Cape Flattery, Smithsonian Contributions
to knowledge.
Ethnology of the Kwakiutal, based on data collected by George Hunt,
Franz Boas, Bureau of American Ethnology, Annual Report #35 (for 1913-14).
Helen Codere, Fighting With Property: A Study of Kwakiutal Potlatching
and Warfare, Monographs of the American Ethno. Society, #18, Seattle,
u. of w. Press.
The Anthropology of Franz Boas, American Anthropological Associati0n Memoir,
#89.
Feasting With Mine Enemy, Rosman and Rubel,
Most other things I can do with reprints.
Columbia Press.
Doing Local History on the Northwest Coast
proposed by Lynn Patterson
(group contract - 40 students)
A broad based group contract which will allow students who are interested
in Northwest Coast Indians to have a home base and will also be a base
for students interested in local history, pioneer studies, the fur trade.
There will be a strong focus on skill development - how to do research,
use archives, oral history, and the techniques of ethnographic video and
film production.
Cooperation has already begun with Del McBride ari~ Derek
Valley of the State Capitol Museum and Nancy Pryor of .the Washington State
Library.
quarters.
Nancy and Derek would be built in to teach a module each of two
They will teach some specific archival, museology and oral
history ·skills.
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