The Nehalem Tillamook: An Ethnography
 |
By Elizabeth D. Jacobs
Edited by William R. Seaburg
2003. 6 x 9 inches. 272 pages. Illustrations. Notes. References. Index.
ISBN 0-87071-556-9. Paperback, $21.95.
Table of Contents
|
The first book-length ethnography of any Western Oregon native group,
The Nehalem Tillamook fills an important gap in what was previously known about southern Northwest Coast native cultures.
In 1933 and 1934, Elizabeth Jacobs, advised by her husband, the noted anthropologist Melville Jacobs, conducted fieldwork on the Nehalem Tillamook culture of northwestern Oregon. Working with her extraordinarily able Nehalem Tillamook consultant Clara Pearson, Jacobs recorded extensive ethnographic and folkloric materials that far surpass in quality and quantity the Tillamook research of previous investigators.
Jacobs's collaboration with Pearson eventually resulted in the publication of
Nehalem Tillamook Tales, an exceptional collection of myths and tales recorded in English. But the companion ethnography was never finished.
The Nehalem Tillamook grew from that unfinished manuscript. In consultation with Elizabeth Jacobs, the manuscript was expanded and extensively edited by William Seaburg. After Elizabeth Jacobs's death in 1983, Seaburg added careful annotations and a detailed historical introduction. The result is a remarkable book that makes a major contribution to our understanding of Nehalem Tillamook culture and will be invaluable for drawing comparisons with other Northwest native cultures.
"A significant contribution ? It is very rich in the sense that there is a great deal that is new, or not widely available. This work will be mined by a variety of people-ethnographers, ethnohistorians, historians, archaeologists, tribal people, coastal residents-with an interest in these matters."
-Kenneth M. Ames, co-author of Peoples of the Northwest Coast:
Their Archaeology and Prehistory
About the Editor
William R. Seaburg is co-author of Coquelle Thompson,
Athabaskan Witness: A Cultural Biography and co-editor of
Badger and Coyote were Neighbors: Melville Jacobs on Northwest Indian Myths and Tales (OSU Press). He is associate professor of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at the University of Washington, Bothell.
Back to top of page
Secure online ordering form (Orders go to our distributor - The University of Arizona Press). For a complete listing of available books, check out our catalog of books in print.
