Zuni

Selected Writings of Frank Hamilton Cushing

Plot

Frank Hamilton Cushing's stay at Zuñi pueblo from 1879 to 1884 made him the first professional anthropologist actually to live with his subjects. Learning the language and winning acceptance as a member not only of the tribe but of the tribal council and the Bow Priesthood, he was the original participant observer and the only man in history to hold the double title of "1st War Chief of Zuñi, U. S. Ass't Ethnologist." A pioneer in southwestern ethnology, he combined the discipline of science with a remarkable imaginative capacity for identifying with Indian modes of thought and perceptionand corresponding gifts of expression.