It wouldn't surprise me. I know Boas chiefly for his linguistic work; I've read very little about how he obtained his materials (verbal or otherwise).
I always have very mixed feelings when I see a historical collection of Indian artifacts. On the one hand, collectors may have saved many of these objects from being destroyed or disappearing into private collections. On the other, it's hard to know much about the conditions under which they were obtained. A lot of the exhibits in the PNW case concern sacred dances and you have to wonder what the participants would think about having these masks locked up for white folk to gawp at.
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momijizukamori
no subject
Date: 2019-01-16 10:37 pm (UTC)I always have very mixed feelings when I see a historical collection of Indian artifacts. On the one hand, collectors may have saved many of these objects from being destroyed or disappearing into private collections. On the other, it's hard to know much about the conditions under which they were obtained. A lot of the exhibits in the PNW case concern sacred dances and you have to wonder what the participants would think about having these masks locked up for white folk to gawp at.