Indians and Anthropologists: Vine Deloria, Jr., and the Critique of Anthropology

In 1969 Vine Deloria, Jr., in his controversial book Custer Died for Your Sins, criticized the anthropological community for its impersonal dissection of living Native American cultures. Twenty-five years later, anthropologists have become more sensitive to Native American concerns, and Indian people have become more active in fighting for accurate representations of their cultures. In this collection of essays, Indian and non-Indian scholars examine how the relationship between anthropology and Indians has changed over that quarter-century and show how controversial this issue remains. Practitioners of cultural anthropology, archaeology, education, and history provide multiple lenses through which to view how Deloria's message has been interpreted or misinterpreted. Among the contributions are comments on Deloria's criticisms, thoughts on the reburial issue, and views on the ethnographic study of specific peoples. A final contribution by Deloria himself puts the issue of anthropologist/Indian interaction in the context of the century's end. CONTENTSIntroduction: What's Changed, What Hasn't, Thomas Biolsi & Larry J. ZimmermanPart One--Deloria Writes BackVine Deloria, Jr., in American Historiography, Herbert T. HooverGrowing Up on Deloria: The Impact of His Work on a New Generation of Anthropologists, Elizabeth S. GrobsmithEducating an Anthro: The Influence of Vine Deloria, Jr., Murray L. WaxPart Two--Archaeology and American IndiansWhy Have Archaeologists Thought That the Real Indians Were Dead and What Can We Do about It?, Randall H. McGuireAnthropology and Responses to the Reburial Issue, Larry J. ZimmermanPart Three-Ethnography and ColonialismHere Come the Anthros, Cecil KingBeyond Ethics: Science, Friendship and Privacy, Marilyn BentzThe Anthropological Construction of Indians: Haviland Scudder Mekeel and the Search for the Primitive in Lakota Country, Thomas BiolsiInformant as Critic: Conducting Research on a Dispute between Iroquoianist Scholars and Traditional Iroquois, Gail LandsmanThe End of Anthropology (at Hopi)?, Peter WhiteleyConclusion: Anthros, Indians and Planetary Reality, Vine Deloria, Jr.