The collection consists of one (1) notebook containing Franz Boas' notes on the Nisqa'a. The notebook includes a vocabulary and several pages of sketches. There are also two loose pages of notes and pages 3-6 of the newsletter of The New York Society for Ethical Culture (circa 1909).
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Biographical Note:
Franz Boas (1858-1942) was a German-American anthropologist and pioneer of modern anthropological practice. He studied physics and geography at the universities at Heidelberg and Bonn before completing a doctoral program in physical geography at Kiel in 1881. After graduation, he joined an expedition of Baffin Island (1883-1884), which influenced his decision to him to focus on cultural tradition rather than biological and physical influences. In 1885, Boas emigrated to the United States, where he took an editorial position with the journal Science and started what would become his most famous ethnographic project, working among the Kwakiutl (Kwakwaka'wakw) Indians, in 1886. Boas spent three years teaching at Clark University in Massachusetts, then took an appointment at the Field Museum in Chicago in 1892. Boas then moved to New York, where he joined the American Museum of Natural History (1895-1905) and began teaching at Columbia University in 1896. For 37 years, Boas established himself as an academic and mentored numerous future influential anthropologists, including Margaret Mead, Alfred Kroeber, Edward Sapir, and Zora Neale Hurston. He also served as one of the founders of both the American Anthropological Association and the International Journal of American Linguistics.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 2135
Variant Title:
Niska notes and sketches
Nisqa Notes
Related Materials:
The National Anthropological Archives holds additional material by Franz Boas concerning the Nisga'a in MS 348 Niska Manuscript and MS 1823 Nisqa (Niska) Dictionary.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Field notes
Drawings
Citation:
MS 2135 Franz Boas notebook concerning the Nisga'a, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
