house frontal totem pole carved george hunt, 1914 motion picture, in land of war canoes, directed edward curtis. ubc museum of anthropolgy.
hunt s long collaboration franz boas, american anthropologist, began in 1886 when boas first visited kwakwaka wakw part of jesup expedition. hunt acted interpreter , served describe , him understand culture , practices. continued work , later boas taught hunt write kwak wala language, record oral histories , other cultural material. boas credited hunt co-author in kwakiutl texts, second series (1906), 1 of numerous volumes published 1930s in relation work of jesup expedition.
boas , hunt worked organize , create exhibit of kwakiutl , other native americans of pacific northwest @ 1893 world columbian exposition in chicago. hunt collected hundreds of objects fair, including house , number of carved poles. traveled chicago in april 1893 group of 17 kwakiutl indians fort rupert, british columbia. erected facsimile village on fair grounds, kwakiutl lived during period of fair , demonstrated ceremonial dances, arts , other traditions. after exposition, of objects exhibit donated field museum, many still can seen on display today.
hunt later instrumental in purchase of yuquot whalers shrine in 1904, object has since been of controversy in recent decades. yuquot have tried reclaim work.
over years hunt wrote as ten thousand pages of ethnological description boas. work covered every aspect of kwakwaka wakw culture, including potlatch ceremonies in hunt participated. when boas received texts collected other speakers, sent transcriptions hunt over, remarking in 1931 letter, in cases can guess wrong had rather have correct use own uncertain knowledge of kwakiutl.
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