George Amos Dorsey
Encyclopedia
George Amos Dorsey was an U.S. ethnographer of Indigenous peoples of the Americas
, with a special focus on the Mandan tribe.
Dorsey was born in Hebron, Ohio
, to Edwin Jackson and Mary Emma (nee Grove) Dorsey.
He received a Bachelor of Arts
degree from Denison University
in 1888, then a second Bachelor's Degree in anthropology
in 1890 at Harvard university
, and finally PhD in 1894 on An Archaeological Study Based on a Personal Exploration of Over One Hundred Graves at the Necropolis of Ancon, Peru., the first PhD in anthropology from Harvard, and the second ever awarded in the United States.
In the 1890s Charles Frederick Newcombe, Dorsey and a Scottish guide named James Deans
were travelling to gather artefacts that might be of ethnographic interest. Their methods varied, but they frequently held little regard for the native Canadians. The local missionary, John Henry Keen had to angrily take them to task after he found they had not only raided graves but also not restored them to there former state. Keen found hair and coffins strewn about from where they had dug to steal skulls and bones. Keen wrote to complain about the desecration and challenged Dean to name his accomplices although he was clear that the benefactor of their work was the Field Columbian Museum and that the perpetrators were Americans. George Dorsey was known for his haste in finding artefacts was told of Keen's letter to the "Daily Colonist" and he argued that Keen's anger should be ignored.
He became an assistant and instructor in anthropology at Harvard, and worked for the National Museum of Natural History
at the Smithsonian Institution
, where he became curator.
He married Ida Chadsey on December 8, 1892. They separated in April, 1914, and were subsequently divorced; Ida died in 1937. Dorsey later married Sue McLellan.
Dorsey died in New York
.
Many more of his works are available at the Internet Archive.
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, with a special focus on the Mandan tribe.
Dorsey was born in Hebron, Ohio
Hebron, Ohio
Hebron is a village in Licking County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,034 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hebron is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
, to Edwin Jackson and Mary Emma (nee Grove) Dorsey.
He received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from Denison University
Denison University
Denison University is private, coeducational, and residential college of liberal arts and sciences founded in 1831. It is located in Granville, Ohio, United States, approximately 30 miles east of Columbus, the state capital...
in 1888, then a second Bachelor's Degree in anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
in 1890 at Harvard university
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, and finally PhD in 1894 on An Archaeological Study Based on a Personal Exploration of Over One Hundred Graves at the Necropolis of Ancon, Peru., the first PhD in anthropology from Harvard, and the second ever awarded in the United States.
In the 1890s Charles Frederick Newcombe, Dorsey and a Scottish guide named James Deans
James Deans
James Deans was a Scottish ethnologist, guide and collector of Victoria, BC, who published several works on the folklore and culture of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas....
were travelling to gather artefacts that might be of ethnographic interest. Their methods varied, but they frequently held little regard for the native Canadians. The local missionary, John Henry Keen had to angrily take them to task after he found they had not only raided graves but also not restored them to there former state. Keen found hair and coffins strewn about from where they had dug to steal skulls and bones. Keen wrote to complain about the desecration and challenged Dean to name his accomplices although he was clear that the benefactor of their work was the Field Columbian Museum and that the perpetrators were Americans. George Dorsey was known for his haste in finding artefacts was told of Keen's letter to the "Daily Colonist" and he argued that Keen's anger should be ignored.
He became an assistant and instructor in anthropology at Harvard, and worked for the National Museum of Natural History
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. Admission is free and the museum is open 364 days a year....
at the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, where he became curator.
He married Ida Chadsey on December 8, 1892. They separated in April, 1914, and were subsequently divorced; Ida died in 1937. Dorsey later married Sue McLellan.
Dorsey died in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Works
- (1901)
- (1903)
- (1903)
- (March 1905)
- (May 1905)
- Young Low, a novel (1917)
- Why We Behave Like Human Beings (1925)
- The Nature of Man (1927)
- The Evolution of Charles Darwin (1927)
- Hows and Whys of Human Behavior (1929)
Many more of his works are available at the Internet Archive.
External links
- Minnesota State University page
- Alchemy of Bones biography with pictures
- Quotes by Dorsey