The Social Life of the Blackfoot Indians (ePub)

Clark Wissler (1870-1947) was an esteemed American anthropologist who significantly contributed to the study of Native American cultures, especially those on the Great Plains. He was born in rural Indiana and initially trained in psychology at Indiana University, earning his Ph.D. in 1901. Wissler's career soon pivoted to anthropology under the influence of Franz Boas at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where he worked for many decades. Wissler's work is marked by his innovation in cultural anthropology, establishing patterns of culture through the distribution of traits and the use of statistical methods, laying groundwork for future cultural area studies and ecological approaches to anthropology. He is perhaps best known for his contributions to the understanding of the Blackfoot Indians, encapsulated in his seminal work, 'The Social Life of the Blackfoot Indians' (1911), a comprehensive account of the tribe's social customs, religious beliefs, and daily life. His literary style is characterized by an empirical approach, often descriptive and based on painstaking fieldwork. Wissler's legacy in the field of anthropology is anchored in his meticulous methodology and his role as a pioneering figure in early 20th-century anthropological research. Noteworthy among his plethora of scholarly contributions, this book remains an enduring piece of ethnographic literature, offering rich insight into the Blackfoot society and serving as an invaluable resource for anyone studying the Northern Plains tribes.