Anthropologist. Frank Cushing has the distinction of pursuing participant observation fieldwork more than three decades before Bronislaw Malinowski made it a cornerstone of anthropology. As a boy Cushing had a love for archaeology and Native American cultures. His first professional accomplishment was in 1875 as Curator of the Indian collections of the National Museum for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. In 1876 he joined the Smithsonian's expedition to the Pueblos of the American Southwest. When the group arrived among the Zuni, he asked to be left behind and lived for three years with and like the Zuni Pueblo Indians, even being adopted into the Zuni warrior society, the Priesthood of the Bow. Many of his books, including Zuni Fetiches, were published by the Bureau of American Ethnology. His goals in living among the Zuni included both ethnographic research and obtaining items for the Smithsonian's museum collections. While he accomplished great things, his work has sometimes been the subject of ethical disputes both among the Zuni and within anthropology. At least once the Zuni considered killing him for acquiring sacred secrets. His museum collecting, although typical of its time, has been criticized for sometimes using deceptive or otherwise unethical tactics to acquire objects. On a positive note, he is responsible for introducing both participant observation and "the reciprocal method" (reflexive anthropology) into anthropology. Using the reciprocal method, he shared his culture with the Zuni while they shared theirs with him. He even took several Zuni on an extended trip to Washington, DC.
Anthropologist. Frank Cushing has the distinction of pursuing participant observation fieldwork more than three decades before Bronislaw Malinowski made it a cornerstone of anthropology. As a boy Cushing had a love for archaeology and Native American cultures. His first professional accomplishment was in 1875 as Curator of the Indian collections of the National Museum for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. In 1876 he joined the Smithsonian's expedition to the Pueblos of the American Southwest. When the group arrived among the Zuni, he asked to be left behind and lived for three years with and like the Zuni Pueblo Indians, even being adopted into the Zuni warrior society, the Priesthood of the Bow. Many of his books, including Zuni Fetiches, were published by the Bureau of American Ethnology. His goals in living among the Zuni included both ethnographic research and obtaining items for the Smithsonian's museum collections. While he accomplished great things, his work has sometimes been the subject of ethical disputes both among the Zuni and within anthropology. At least once the Zuni considered killing him for acquiring sacred secrets. His museum collecting, although typical of its time, has been criticized for sometimes using deceptive or otherwise unethical tactics to acquire objects. On a positive note, he is responsible for introducing both participant observation and "the reciprocal method" (reflexive anthropology) into anthropology. Using the reciprocal method, he shared his culture with the Zuni while they shared theirs with him. He even took several Zuni on an extended trip to Washington, DC.
Bio by: Sharlotte Neely Donnelly
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