Sustainability Studies Methods Field Journal
Mary Kate Rigney
Annotation 10
10 October 2012
1. Video: “Franz Boas: The Shackles of Tradition.”
2. Franz Boas was a German scientist, who started his career as a geographer. In an
exploration to the Artic to provide a more detailed map of the Baffen Island, he found
himself intrigued by the culture and way of life of the Eskimos. Boas continued to
explore his passion for the study of societies and cultures throughout his life and has
made remarkable achievements in the field of anthropology. He was a long time
Professor at the University of Columbia and worked as a curator in museums across the
Northeast as well.
3. Topics Include:
a. Study of the Eskimos and their relationship with their environment—originally
thought that the Eskimos were ruled by their environment’s harsh conditions, but
Boas proved that they were actually masters of their environment and had adapted
remarkably well.
b. The Indian tribes along the Northwest Pacific and their shared customs but
marked differences—Boas took particular interest in these tribes and eventually
led the Jessup North Pacific Expedition, in which he collected tribal items that he
cataloged and organized in the museum exhibits. Boas is commended for his
unique organizational style of museum exhibits because the arrangement sheds
light on the value and application of the artifacts.
c. Boas’s close relationship with Indian tribe member George Hunt, who proved to
be an invaluable resource for Boas during his research there. Hunt helped him
learn the language, customs, and even authored papers with him.
d. Boas’s use of film to supplement his research—he would record particular
movements made during tribal rituals, chants that were part of ceremonies and
other customs of the tribes.
e. Realization that language plays a much broader role than just communication in a
culture.
f. The effects of race and physical features on a human’s potential and behavior.
4. Franz Boas’s influence on anthropology stretches far and wide, so much so that he is
regarded as the founding father of American anthropology. His groundbreaking research
on the Eskimos, North Pacific Indian tribes, and race have shed light on how we view
culture.
5. Supported by:
a. Demonstrated that the Eskimos weren’t ruled by their environment, but rather that
they mastered the harsh conditions they were presented with.
b. Showed that the Indian tribes along the Pacific Northwest shared many customs
by collecting tribal artifacts with cultural significance and cataloging them in his
museum exhibits so that the tradition would never be lost.
c. Examined the biological characteristics of immigrants entering Ellis Island and
concluded that race played no role in a human’s ability for intellect.
6. Quotes
a. “He often realized that the Eskimos did things in spite of the restrictions by their
surroundings and not because of them. Environment wasn’t the only thing that
determined culture.”
b. Boas realized that language was more than simply a means for making yourself
understood. The role of language was a vehicle for transferring cultural identity.”
c. Boas introduced a new way of looking at race. He minimized the importance of
race as a determinant of human behavior.”
7. Questions
a. Boas used multimedia tools such as film and pictures to supplement his field
research. Is this still regarded as a valuable tool for ethnographers?
b. What methods did Boas use to study the differences in language and the role it
plays in various Indian tribal cultures?
c. Boas is partly remembered for his organizational techniques used in museum
exhibits, how did he convince tribal members to let him take their artifacts?
8. Further Research
a. I am going to look into the specific similarities tribal cultures had across the
Pacific Northwest. A map of it could show where cultural overlap occurs and how
niche construction develops.
b. Looking into areas where environments are particularly harsh and how various
societies adapt to these extreme conditions.
c. Examining societies that geographically overlap along the borders and the extent
to which their language and customs differ from each other.