Between 1879 and 1965 the Bureau of American Ethnology (BAE) was a leading research institution investigating Native American life and culture. The background of the institution was ominous. During the time period of its existence the US government, funder of the Bureau, was taking away Indian land and enforcing acculturation through policies such as Termination. The Bureau was to document native cultures before they disappeared. In spite of such sinister agendas the BAE managed to collect material on Native American existence that continues to be of potential value. Not least this concerns information on social organization, totemic clans and native communities. This book takes a closer look at the legacy left behind in BAE publications, and what was lost in the process.
