Encyclopedia, Difference between revisions of "James Mooney" - New World
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==Life== | ==Life== | ||
| − | '''James Mooney'' was born February 10, 1861 in Richmond, Indiana, into a family of [[Ireland|Irish]] immigrants to the [[United States]]. His father, James Mooney, died soon after his son’s birth, and so Mooney’s mother, Ellen Devlin, had to raise her son alone. James graduated from [[high school]] in 1878, and continued to teach public [[school]] for one year, after which he joined the staff of Richmond Palladium as a newsman. | + | '''James Mooney''' was born February 10, 1861 in Richmond, Indiana, into a family of [[Ireland|Irish]] immigrants to the [[United States]]. His father, James Mooney, died soon after his son’s birth, and so Mooney’s mother, Ellen Devlin, had to raise her son alone. James graduated from [[high school]] in 1878, and continued to teach public [[school]] for one year, after which he joined the staff of Richmond Palladium as a newsman. |
| − | Mooney became interested in [[American Indian]]s as a child, and started | + | Mooney became interested in [[American Indian]]s as a child, and started studying their [[culture]]. In 1884 he tried (unsuccessfully) to obtain employment at the [[Smithsonian Institution]]'s Bureau of Ethnology (later the Bureau of American Ethnology). However, the mayor of Richmond sent a letter to John Wesley Powell, the director of the Smithsonian, in which he introduced Mooney as a “devoted [[anthropology|anthropologist]],” and when Powell saw the work Mooney had done in compiling a dictionary of tribal names and their synonyms, Mooney was hired. |
| − | + | He moved to Washington, D.C. and married Ione Lee Gaut in 1897, with whom he had six children. | |
| − | + | Mooney started his field studies among the [[Cherokee]] in 1887. He spent several years in this research, which led to the publication of his seminal works: ''Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees'' (1891), ''Myths of the Cherokee'' (1900), and ''The Swimmer Manuscript: Cherokee Sacred Formulas and Medicine Prescriptions'' (1932). These publications are often regarded as some of the best records of Cherokee culture ever compiled. | |
| − | + | In late 1890, while visiting Indian Territory, he witnessed the [[Ghost Dance]]—the religious ritual that became a center of the [[messiah|messianic]] [[religion|religious]] movement among the Native Americans in the 1890s. Mooney spent three years in study of this social phenomenon, which resulted in his ''The Ghost Dance Religion and the Sioux Outbreak of 1890'' in 1896. This work is considered a masterpiece, which earned Mooney fame among fellow scholars. | |
| − | Mooney spent next twenty years in studying Peyote Religion. His support for the use of peyote in religious practices, however, | + | Mooney continued to work among Kiowa and Comanche Indians throughout 1890s, compiling his second greatest work, ''The Calendar History of the Kiowa Indians'', in 1898. The calendar recorded Kiowa’s [[pictography|pictographic ]] [[art]], which represented a history of their [[tribe]]. Mooney’s work demonstrated the falsity of the belief that Native Indians are people without a written history. |
| + | |||
| + | Mooney spent next the twenty years in studying the Peyote Religion. His support for the use of [[peyote]] in religious practices, however, drew negative attention to his work. In 1918, he assisted in the chartering of the Native American Church of Oklahoma, an act that ignored federal attempts to ban peyote. The Secretary of the Interior issued a ban on Mooney’s research, which Mooney unsuccessfully tried to lift for the remainder of his career. He died in his home in Washington D.C. in 1921. | ||
==Work== | ==Work== | ||
| − | Mooney started | + | Mooney started his study of [[American Indian]]s as a hobby, but his passion for them later turned into a long and successful career. As a young man he compiled a list containing 3,000 tribal names and their synonyms, that was eventually published in the ''Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico'' (Hodge 1907). After he started to work for the [[Smithsonian]], his dream came true and he Mooney soon became an expert on Native American [[culture]]. |
| − | + | Mooney was greatly influenced by Washington Matthews, curator of the Army Medical Museum, and Mooney’s personal tutor at the Smithsonian. He taught Mooney that in order to understand Indian culture, one has to become totally immersed in it. Mooney, therefore, learned to speak Cherokee, Kiowa, and Comanche, and lived with the [[tribe]]s he studied. | |
| − | Mooney became famous | + | Mooney became famous due to his research on the [[Ghost Dance]] movement. Living among Cherokees, Mooney noticed the conflict between traditional Indian culture and the culture of the white man. He witnessed the resistance toward forceful assimilation, especially exhibited by some [[shaman]]s and traditional healers. When in the 1890s the Ghost Dance movement swept across the [[United States]], uniting numerous Indian tribes under the common denominator of nonviolent resistance to Euro-American expansion, Mooney became an advocate for the Indian cause. Through his writings he tried to expose Indian culture in a light understandable to a white man. He even made comparisons in his writings between the Ghost Dance religion and other religions, including [[Christianity]]. In that way he tried to bridge the gap between the cultures. |
==Legacy== | ==Legacy== | ||
| − | Mooney’s study on Ghost Dance movement | + | Mooney’s study on the [[Ghost Dance]] movement has been regarded as his greatest work. It was the first accurate, historical account of the movement, and was later used by generations of [[anthropology|anthropologists]] as a source of information about the background of the [[Sioux]] rebellion. |
| − | Regarding methodology, Mooney can be considered one of the true pioneers of [[ethnology|ethnological]] research. His immersion into the Indian culture led him not only | + | Regarding methodology, Mooney can be considered one of the true pioneers of [[ethnology|ethnological]] research. His immersion into the Indian [[culture]] led him to not only understand it, but also to became a significant advocate for the Indian cause. |
==References== | ==References== | ||
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*American Council of Learned Societies (2002). [http://daphne.palomar.edu/ddozier/course_notes/concepts/histories/biographies/mooney.htm ''Biography of James Mooney'']. Oxford University Press | *American Council of Learned Societies (2002). [http://daphne.palomar.edu/ddozier/course_notes/concepts/histories/biographies/mooney.htm ''Biography of James Mooney'']. Oxford University Press | ||
| − | *Hodge, Frederick W. ( | + | *Hodge, Frederick W. (Ed.) 2003 (original 1907). ''Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico''. Digital Scanning. ISBN 1582187487 |
*Moses, L.G. (2002). ''The Indian Man: A Biography of James Mooney''. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0803282796 | *Moses, L.G. (2002). ''The Indian Man: A Biography of James Mooney''. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0803282796 | ||
Revision as of 20:48, 7 July 2006
James Mooney (born February 10, 1861 – died December 22, 1921) was an American anthropologist, most famous for his work on Cherokee Indians.
Life
James Mooney was born February 10, 1861 in Richmond, Indiana, into a family of Irish immigrants to the United States. His father, James Mooney, died soon after his son’s birth, and so Mooney’s mother, Ellen Devlin, had to raise her son alone. James graduated from high school in 1878, and continued to teach public school for one year, after which he joined the staff of Richmond Palladium as a newsman.
Mooney became interested in American Indians as a child, and started studying their culture. In 1884 he tried (unsuccessfully) to obtain employment at the Smithsonian Institution's Bureau of Ethnology (later the Bureau of American Ethnology). However, the mayor of Richmond sent a letter to John Wesley Powell, the director of the Smithsonian, in which he introduced Mooney as a “devoted anthropologist,” and when Powell saw the work Mooney had done in compiling a dictionary of tribal names and their synonyms, Mooney was hired.
He moved to Washington, D.C. and married Ione Lee Gaut in 1897, with whom he had six children.
Mooney started his field studies among the Cherokee in 1887. He spent several years in this research, which led to the publication of his seminal works: Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees (1891), Myths of the Cherokee (1900), and The Swimmer Manuscript: Cherokee Sacred Formulas and Medicine Prescriptions (1932). These publications are often regarded as some of the best records of Cherokee culture ever compiled.
In late 1890, while visiting Indian Territory, he witnessed the Ghost Dance—the religious ritual that became a center of the messianic religious movement among the Native Americans in the 1890s. Mooney spent three years in study of this social phenomenon, which resulted in his The Ghost Dance Religion and the Sioux Outbreak of 1890 in 1896. This work is considered a masterpiece, which earned Mooney fame among fellow scholars.
Mooney continued to work among Kiowa and Comanche Indians throughout 1890s, compiling his second greatest work, The Calendar History of the Kiowa Indians, in 1898. The calendar recorded Kiowa’s pictographic art, which represented a history of their tribe. Mooney’s work demonstrated the falsity of the belief that Native Indians are people without a written history.
Mooney spent next the twenty years in studying the Peyote Religion. His support for the use of peyote in religious practices, however, drew negative attention to his work. In 1918, he assisted in the chartering of the Native American Church of Oklahoma, an act that ignored federal attempts to ban peyote. The Secretary of the Interior issued a ban on Mooney’s research, which Mooney unsuccessfully tried to lift for the remainder of his career. He died in his home in Washington D.C. in 1921.
Work
Mooney started his study of American Indians as a hobby, but his passion for them later turned into a long and successful career. As a young man he compiled a list containing 3,000 tribal names and their synonyms, that was eventually published in the Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico (Hodge 1907). After he started to work for the Smithsonian, his dream came true and he Mooney soon became an expert on Native American culture.
Mooney was greatly influenced by Washington Matthews, curator of the Army Medical Museum, and Mooney’s personal tutor at the Smithsonian. He taught Mooney that in order to understand Indian culture, one has to become totally immersed in it. Mooney, therefore, learned to speak Cherokee, Kiowa, and Comanche, and lived with the tribes he studied.
Mooney became famous due to his research on the Ghost Dance movement. Living among Cherokees, Mooney noticed the conflict between traditional Indian culture and the culture of the white man. He witnessed the resistance toward forceful assimilation, especially exhibited by some shamans and traditional healers. When in the 1890s the Ghost Dance movement swept across the United States, uniting numerous Indian tribes under the common denominator of nonviolent resistance to Euro-American expansion, Mooney became an advocate for the Indian cause. Through his writings he tried to expose Indian culture in a light understandable to a white man. He even made comparisons in his writings between the Ghost Dance religion and other religions, including Christianity. In that way he tried to bridge the gap between the cultures.
Legacy
Mooney’s study on the Ghost Dance movement has been regarded as his greatest work. It was the first accurate, historical account of the movement, and was later used by generations of anthropologists as a source of information about the background of the Sioux rebellion.
Regarding methodology, Mooney can be considered one of the true pioneers of ethnological research. His immersion into the Indian culture led him to not only understand it, but also to became a significant advocate for the Indian cause.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- American Council of Learned Societies (2002). Biography of James Mooney. Oxford University Press
- Hodge, Frederick W. (Ed.) 2003 (original 1907). Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico. Digital Scanning. ISBN 1582187487
- Moses, L.G. (2002). The Indian Man: A Biography of James Mooney. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0803282796
Bibliography
- Mooney, J. (1891). Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees. Seventh Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology
- Mooney, J. (1896). The Ghost-Dance Religion and the Sioux Outbreak of 1890. Fourteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology, part 2.
- Mooney, J. (1898). Calendar History of the Kiowa Indians. Seventeenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, part 2
- Mooney, J. (1898). The Messiah Religion and the Ghost Dance
- Mooney, J. (1900). Myths of the Cherokees. Nineteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology
- Mooney, J. (1932). The Swimmer Manuscript: Cherokee Sacred Formulas and Medicinal Prescriptions. Reprint Services Corp. ISBN 0781240999
- Mooney, J. (1982). Myths of the Cherokee and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees. Charles & Randy Elder Publishers. ISBN 0918450055
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