Dr. LaMont West is a famous anthropologist. He received his PhD in Anthropology from the University of Indiana. His paper was titled "The Sign Language: An Analysis".

He received a grant to study Aboriginal sign language

Sign language

A sign language is a language which, instead of acoustically conveyed sound patterns, uses visually transmitted sign patterns to convey meaning—simultaneously combining hand shapes, orientation and movement of the hands, arms or body, and facial expressions to fluidly express a speaker's...

s in Australia. He spent most of his time in Lockhart River

Lockhart River, Queensland

Lockhart River is a coastal Aboriginal community situated on the eastern coast of Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. The population consists mostly of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, whose ancestors were forcibly moved to the area beginning in 1924...

 Mission, Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

 Australia but also traveled extensively. He recorded traditional didgeridoo

Didgeridoo

The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...

 music by Aboriginal Elders. These are some of the only known recordings. His work is considered ground breaking and is still referred to in the field of 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...

.

He went on to become a Professor of Anthropology at the University of Washington

University of Washington

University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...

 in the 1960s, known for being controversial. At one point, there was a 5000 signature petition demanding his dismissal.

Later in life, he donated most of his artifacts to the National Museum of Australia

National Museum of Australia

The National Museum of Australia was formally established by the National Museum of Australia Act 1980. The National Museum preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation....

 Canberra.

Note: English Linguist Adam Kendon

Adam Kendon

Adam Kendon is one of the world's foremost authorities on the topic of gesture. He initially focused on sign systems in Papua New Guinea and Australian Aboriginal sign languages, before developing a general framework for understanding gestures with the same kind of rigorous semiotic analysis as...

 did further research in this area.

Sources

• Salina Journal November 30, 1967
• Anthropology and Human Movement by Drid Williams
• Journal article; Australian Aboriginal Studies, Vol. 2003, 2003
• National Museum of Australia: Dr Lamont West Collection http://www.nma.gov.au/collections-search/results?search=adv&ref=coll&collname=Dr+Lamont+West+collection
• http://www.indiana.edu/~anthro/about/theses/1949_1959.html