What do you think?
Rate this book
Indian Myths & Legends from the North Pacific Coast of America
Franz Boas (1858-1942), geographer, linguist, physical anthropologist and ethnologist, is considered the father of modern North American anthropology.
The 1895 German publication of Indianische Sagen von der Nord-Pacifischen Küste Amerikas gathered together in a single volume his earliest research in British Columbia, consisting of 250 B.C. First Nations myths and legends which had been previously serialized in German periodicals between 1891 and 1895.
In 1973, the B.C. Indian Language Project first commissioned this peer-reviewed translation from Dietrich Bertz of Victoria, who completed his revised draft in 1977, incorporating the introduction by Professor Claude Lévi-Strauss. Then began the Project’s immense task of researching, footnoting and annotating the text, which was to continue intermittently for over twenty years.
This volume of First Nations myths and legends is an extraordinarily important document in the history of North American anthropology.
The 1895 German publication of Indianische Sagen von der Nord-Pacifischen Küste Amerikas gathered together in a single volume his earliest research in British Columbia, consisting of 250 B.C. First Nations myths and legends which had been previously serialized in German periodicals between 1891 and 1895.
In 1973, the B.C. Indian Language Project first commissioned this peer-reviewed translation from Dietrich Bertz of Victoria, who completed his revised draft in 1977, incorporating the introduction by Professor Claude Lévi-Strauss. Then began the Project’s immense task of researching, footnoting and annotating the text, which was to continue intermittently for over twenty years.
This volume of First Nations myths and legends is an extraordinarily important document in the history of North American anthropology.
704 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
3 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
About the author
Franz Boas
383 books91 followersFranz Uri Boas was a German-American anthropologist and a pioneer of modern anthropology who has been called the "Father of American Anthropology". His work is associated with the movements known as historical particularism and cultural relativism.
Studying in Germany, Boas was awarded a doctorate in 1881 in physics while also studying geography. He then participated in a geographical expedition to northern Canada, where he became fascinated with the culture and language of the Baffin Island Inuit. He went on to do field work with the indigenous cultures and languages of the Pacific Northwest. In 1887 he emigrated to the United States, where he first worked as a museum curator at the Smithsonian, and in 1899 became a professor of anthropology at Columbia University, where he remained for the rest of his career. Through his students, many of whom went on to found anthropology departments and research programmes inspired by their mentor, Boas profoundly influenced the development of American anthropology. Among his many significant students were Alfred Louis Kroeber, Alexander Goldenweiser, Ruth Benedict, Edward Sapir, Margaret Mead, Zora Neale Hurston, and Gilberto Freyre.
Boas was one of the most prominent opponents of the then-popular ideologies of scientific racism, the idea that race is a biological concept and that human behavior is best understood through the typology of biological characteristics. In a series of groundbreaking studies of skeletal anatomy, he showed that cranial shape and size was highly malleable depending on environmental factors such as health and nutrition, in contrast to the claims by racial anthropologists of the day that held head shape to be a stable racial trait. Boas also worked to demonstrate that differences in human behavior are not primarily determined by innate biological dispositions but are largely the result of cultural differences acquired through social learning. In this way, Boas introduced culture as the primary concept for describing differences in behavior between human groups, and as the central analytical concept of anthropology.
Among Boas's main contributions to anthropological thought was his rejection of the then-popular evolutionary approaches to the study of culture, which saw all societies progressing through a set of hierarchic technological and cultural stages, with Western European culture at the summit. Boas argued that culture developed historically through the interactions of groups of people and the diffusion of ideas and that consequently there was no process towards continuously "higher" cultural forms. This insight led Boas to reject the "stage"-based organization of ethnological museums, instead preferring to order items on display based on the affinity and proximity of the cultural groups in question.
Boas also introduced the idea of cultural relativism, which holds that cultures cannot be objectively ranked as higher or lower, or better or more correct, but that all humans see the world through the lens of their own culture, and judge it according to their own culturally acquired norms. For Boas, the object of anthropology was to understand the way in which culture conditioned people to understand and interact with the world in different ways and to do this it was necessary to gain an understanding of the language and cultural practices of the people studied. By uniting the disciplines of archaeology, the study of material culture and history, and physical anthropology, the study of variation in human anatomy, with ethnology, the study of cultural variation of customs, and descriptive linguistics, the study of unwritten indigenous languages, Boas created the four-field subdivision of anthropology which became prominent in American anthropology in the 20th century.
Studying in Germany, Boas was awarded a doctorate in 1881 in physics while also studying geography. He then participated in a geographical expedition to northern Canada, where he became fascinated with the culture and language of the Baffin Island Inuit. He went on to do field work with the indigenous cultures and languages of the Pacific Northwest. In 1887 he emigrated to the United States, where he first worked as a museum curator at the Smithsonian, and in 1899 became a professor of anthropology at Columbia University, where he remained for the rest of his career. Through his students, many of whom went on to found anthropology departments and research programmes inspired by their mentor, Boas profoundly influenced the development of American anthropology. Among his many significant students were Alfred Louis Kroeber, Alexander Goldenweiser, Ruth Benedict, Edward Sapir, Margaret Mead, Zora Neale Hurston, and Gilberto Freyre.
Boas was one of the most prominent opponents of the then-popular ideologies of scientific racism, the idea that race is a biological concept and that human behavior is best understood through the typology of biological characteristics. In a series of groundbreaking studies of skeletal anatomy, he showed that cranial shape and size was highly malleable depending on environmental factors such as health and nutrition, in contrast to the claims by racial anthropologists of the day that held head shape to be a stable racial trait. Boas also worked to demonstrate that differences in human behavior are not primarily determined by innate biological dispositions but are largely the result of cultural differences acquired through social learning. In this way, Boas introduced culture as the primary concept for describing differences in behavior between human groups, and as the central analytical concept of anthropology.
Among Boas's main contributions to anthropological thought was his rejection of the then-popular evolutionary approaches to the study of culture, which saw all societies progressing through a set of hierarchic technological and cultural stages, with Western European culture at the summit. Boas argued that culture developed historically through the interactions of groups of people and the diffusion of ideas and that consequently there was no process towards continuously "higher" cultural forms. This insight led Boas to reject the "stage"-based organization of ethnological museums, instead preferring to order items on display based on the affinity and proximity of the cultural groups in question.
Boas also introduced the idea of cultural relativism, which holds that cultures cannot be objectively ranked as higher or lower, or better or more correct, but that all humans see the world through the lens of their own culture, and judge it according to their own culturally acquired norms. For Boas, the object of anthropology was to understand the way in which culture conditioned people to understand and interact with the world in different ways and to do this it was necessary to gain an understanding of the language and cultural practices of the people studied. By uniting the disciplines of archaeology, the study of material culture and history, and physical anthropology, the study of variation in human anatomy, with ethnology, the study of cultural variation of customs, and descriptive linguistics, the study of unwritten indigenous languages, Boas created the four-field subdivision of anthropology which became prominent in American anthropology in the 20th century.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 24, 2018
So this was a collection of 250 stories/myths/legends from 25 different native tribes and/or villages around British Columbia (focused mostly on Vancouver island and the surrounding islands, a couple on the mainland) translated from the native langauages and written down in German in the 1880s (this collection was than translated into English from Boas original collection). It was a slow read alot of the themes and stories repeated with small differences and some where extremely weird but it was interesting, I enjoyed it.
April 14, 2008
“Indian Myths & Legends from the North Pacific Coast of America is the English translation of Franz Boas' Indianische Sagen von der Nord-Pacifischen Küste Amerikas. This book details various myths and legends recorded by the Father of North American Anthropology during his field investigations of twenty-six native groups along the Northwest Coast. Dietrich Bertz painstakingly translated Boas' original text and field notes. Bouchard and Kennedy then compiled these translations, conferred with native storytellers and academic researchers, and then attempted to replicate these original myths and legends.
Countless footnotes riddle the book explaining the sources, potential variations, and limitations of these various accounts. The editors have also added a lengthy section about Boas and his theoretical background to instruct the reader on the Boasian theory and methods and give the reader background on where and when he conducted his field investigations. Moreover, this section aims to prevent criticism about the incomplete stories. This attempt is significant as Boas' work shows an obvious bias towards using myths and legends as a way of discovering cultural affinity and diffusion. In this way, the reader will soon find a number of the accounts only contain a paragraph or two stating that the story is the same as previous except for a few omissions or additions. These revisions are then listed or the differing portion of the story related. For researchers looking for precise details, a smooth read, or culture-specific symbolic ideology, this aspect of Boas' original work may be extremely bothersome.
This book also contains a summary of Boas' findings. This section is a comparison of various individual events found within common myths and legends. Boas used the frequency of these common components to establish cultural links. Nonetheless, the comparison of these variations might be useful as a starting point for a Lévi-Straussian analysis of myth and legend variations. Furthermore, this section acts as a summary for an extensive and somewhat overwhelming amount of material.
The majority of this book, however, is composed of myths and legends from the twenty-six native groups that Boas studied. The number of myths and legend in each section varies substantially. For instance, there is only one Klahoose legend, while twenty-five stories of the Bella Coola are recorded. This is a reflection of knowledgeable native storytellers willing to share their traditions within the confines of Boas' hectic fieldwork schedule.
Each of these sections contains an introduction that outlines when and where Boas completed his field studies as well as any comments he recorded about his informants. This orients the reader any to potential bias due to lack of time and the qualifications of the native storytellers. Moreover, black and white photographs taken by Boas accompany each introduction. These regularly depict native informants, their villages, and local activities. These activities include not only daily activities useful as potential clues in site and activity area reconstruction but also rarely recorded special events such as the potlatch ceremony.
Many of the sections contain myths and legends common to the Pacific Northwest. The most common reoccurring themes surround Raven and Mink. Other common stories include tales about illegitimate and rejected children becoming rich and powerful as well as cautionary tales about sexually active girls.
Despite Boas' research bias towards shared themes, he did an exemplary job in recording such a wide variety. Many of these are origin myths and legends explaining nature and the universe. Others relate the history of the group and the invention of technology such as the salmon weir. Still others valiantly illustrate cultural mores, taboos, and gender roles.
Thus, despite some acknowledged research bias, this book is a wealth of knowledge. Many of these myths and legends are the only surviving remnants of otherwise lost traditions. Furthermore, this compilation is the most complete collection from the Pacific Northwest created to date. These aspects make this book invaluable to the avid myth and legend collector or scholar.
Countless footnotes riddle the book explaining the sources, potential variations, and limitations of these various accounts. The editors have also added a lengthy section about Boas and his theoretical background to instruct the reader on the Boasian theory and methods and give the reader background on where and when he conducted his field investigations. Moreover, this section aims to prevent criticism about the incomplete stories. This attempt is significant as Boas' work shows an obvious bias towards using myths and legends as a way of discovering cultural affinity and diffusion. In this way, the reader will soon find a number of the accounts only contain a paragraph or two stating that the story is the same as previous except for a few omissions or additions. These revisions are then listed or the differing portion of the story related. For researchers looking for precise details, a smooth read, or culture-specific symbolic ideology, this aspect of Boas' original work may be extremely bothersome.
This book also contains a summary of Boas' findings. This section is a comparison of various individual events found within common myths and legends. Boas used the frequency of these common components to establish cultural links. Nonetheless, the comparison of these variations might be useful as a starting point for a Lévi-Straussian analysis of myth and legend variations. Furthermore, this section acts as a summary for an extensive and somewhat overwhelming amount of material.
The majority of this book, however, is composed of myths and legends from the twenty-six native groups that Boas studied. The number of myths and legend in each section varies substantially. For instance, there is only one Klahoose legend, while twenty-five stories of the Bella Coola are recorded. This is a reflection of knowledgeable native storytellers willing to share their traditions within the confines of Boas' hectic fieldwork schedule.
Each of these sections contains an introduction that outlines when and where Boas completed his field studies as well as any comments he recorded about his informants. This orients the reader any to potential bias due to lack of time and the qualifications of the native storytellers. Moreover, black and white photographs taken by Boas accompany each introduction. These regularly depict native informants, their villages, and local activities. These activities include not only daily activities useful as potential clues in site and activity area reconstruction but also rarely recorded special events such as the potlatch ceremony.
Many of the sections contain myths and legends common to the Pacific Northwest. The most common reoccurring themes surround Raven and Mink. Other common stories include tales about illegitimate and rejected children becoming rich and powerful as well as cautionary tales about sexually active girls.
Despite Boas' research bias towards shared themes, he did an exemplary job in recording such a wide variety. Many of these are origin myths and legends explaining nature and the universe. Others relate the history of the group and the invention of technology such as the salmon weir. Still others valiantly illustrate cultural mores, taboos, and gender roles.
Thus, despite some acknowledged research bias, this book is a wealth of knowledge. Many of these myths and legends are the only surviving remnants of otherwise lost traditions. Furthermore, this compilation is the most complete collection from the Pacific Northwest created to date. These aspects make this book invaluable to the avid myth and legend collector or scholar.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews