Ishi's brain : in search of America's last "wild" Indian

A chronicle of the search for the truth about the life and death of a legendary Native American. Captured in the hills of northern California in 1911, Ishi, the last stone-age Indian in North America, was brought to San Francisco by the famous anthropologist Alfred Kroeber, and became a living museum display until his death five years later. Ishi's Brain is a first-person account by anthropologist Orin Starn, who sought to unravel the mystery of Ishi's true nature and to locate his brain in the archives of the Smithsonian museum in the hope of finally repatriating Ishi's remains. The trail to Ishi's brain leads Starn through the painful history of the extermination of the Indians, the strange and sometimes scandalous history of anthropology, and the changing, mixed-up world of Native California today. This absorbing new portrait of Ishi, wild man of Deer Creek, museum curiosity, and last of his tribe, will appeal to anyone interested in Native America, a story of science and scandal, and the life and legend of California's most famous Indian. 15 illustrations. From the mountains of California to a forgotten steel vat at the Smithsonian, this "eloquent and soul-searching book" ( Lit ) is "a compelling account of one of American anthropology's strangest, saddest chapters" ( Archaeology ).After the Yahi were massacred in the mid-nineteenth century, Ishi survived alone for decades in the mountains of northern California, wearing skins and hunting with bow and arrow. His capture in 1911 made him a national sensation; anthropologist Alfred Kroeber declared him the world's most "uncivilized" man and made Ishi a living exhibit in his museum. Thousands came to see the displaced Indian before his death, of tuberculosis. Ishi's Brain follows Orin Starn's gripping quest for the remains of the last of the Yahi. "After the Yahi were massacred in the mid-nineteenth century, Ishi survived alone for decades in the mountains of northern California. His capture in 1911 made him a national sensation; anthropologist Alfred Kroeber declared him the world's most "uncivilized" man and made Ishi a living exhibit in his museum. Thousands came to see the displaced Indian before his death from tuberculosis. Ishi's Brain follows Orin Starn's gripping quest for the remains of the last of the Yahi, from the mountains of California to a forgotten steel vat at the Smithsonian"--Back cover Trails to Ishi -- A "compromise between science and sentiment" -- The wild man of Deer Creek -- Ishi, Alfred, and Theodora -- Ishi's ancestors -- Oroville -- The destruction of the Yahi -- Niche 601 -- "Doctor Kroeber's pet buffalo" -- The paper trail -- The wet collection -- Aleš Hrdlička and the great brain hunt -- The Maidu go to Washington -- Lines of descent -- Ancestral gatherings -- Grizzly bear's hiding place -- The sacred fire -- Dersch meadow -- Vera's party. An anthropologist retraces his steps in a remarkable journey to locate the brain of Ishi--the "last Indian" of California who became a national icon of dying Native American culture when he was captured in 1911--and his struggle to repatriate the remains. Reprint. 10,000 first printing. An anthropologist retraces his efforts to locate the brain of Ishi--the "last wild Indian" of California who became an icon of dying Native American culture when he was captured in 1911--and his struggle to repatriate the remains It's hard to write about even now, but my story begins with a death, a difficult death: Saturday, March 25, 1916, sometime in the afternoon.