A. L. Kroeber (1876–1960)

This book is very conflicting. On one hand, Kroeber and Kroeber are trying to capture lost oral history from the Mohave people before, during, and after the US Civil War, which seems a noble goal. On the other hand, the entire second half of the book is a criticism, nitpicking, and belittling of said oral history. It is infuriating to see anthropologists of this style dismissing entire swaths of history because the dates or times or account between two observers might not line up. The maps show more are helpful and the first half is great. Stop once the Kroebers walk on stage, though. show less

Kroeber was the one who found Ishi, the last surviving member of his tribe still living off the land. Kroeber is himself a legend among the early University of California professors interested in Native American culture and language, and this particular volume is surprising detail of linguistic analysis for this period. I have several of these paperbound journals produced by the University of California at Berkeley Press featuring in this case American Archeology and Ethnology, but also show more Zoological reports in similar format, and find them extraordinary scholarship of all time. Must have for the California Native American Library. show less

This is a classic work by the pioneer and leading California ethnographer and linguist researching California Native Americans. This is a large volume printed by the Smithsonian Government Printing Office, and it includes three folding maps. Showing distribution of tribes and tribal village locations. This is a must have for the Native American Library.