/ Anthro .27.17
Leslie Spier
Background
Leslie Spier was born in New York City in 1893.
He then studied under Boas at Columbia University and in 1920 he completed his
doctorate degree.
His initial foci were on physical anthropology and archaeology.
o From 1912 to 1915 he wrote many papers based on research he conducted in
New Jersey, Delaware and New York.
From 1916 – 1920, Spier held the Assistant Anthropologist position at the American
Museum where he discovered his true passion for ethnology.
He taught for 35 years at over nine schools in the United States.
Methodological Approach and Field Research
Spier believed strongly in the use of: recording empirical data, studying cultural
distributions, analyzing cultural processes, changes and growth, and recording results of
research for future use.
He conducted field research with many American Indian cultures such as the Zuni,
Havasupai, Kiowa, Wichita, Caddo, Diegueno, Salish, Wishram, Klamath, Maricopa,
Okanagon, Mohave, and Modoc.
His monographs included extensive historical data, provided a historical perspective of
societies, and described diffusion and change within cultural traits.
With the use of comparisons, Spier produced descriptions of these cultures in the
context of its surrounding cultures.
He believed a culture’s foundation of traits were imbedded in time which gave value to
the data that provided better historical understanding.
Notable Works
Sun Dance Monograph 1921
o Spier produced a historical reconstruction of the dance based on the evaluations
of two types of data:
1. The distribution of the sequence of activities of the dance and materials used
in the dance; and
2. The comparison of the organization of the dance and the individuals
accountable for initiating the dance.
o The historical analysis of the Sun Dance is rooted in the data that display
sporadic distributions between tribes.
o Spier believed this type of analysis was crucial in providing the historical
background of traits due to the fact that a researcher could not gain this insight
through characteristics that were uniform through all tribes nor features atypical
to particular tribes.
Ethnographic study of Klamath people 1925-1926
o Created extensive data set which included every aspect of Klamath materials,
rituals, beliefs, and practices
Leslie Spier
Background
Leslie Spier was born in New York City in 1893.
He then studied under Boas at Columbia University and in 1920 he completed his
doctorate degree.
His initial foci were on physical anthropology and archaeology.
o From 1912 to 1915 he wrote many papers based on research he conducted in
New Jersey, Delaware and New York.
From 1916 – 1920, Spier held the Assistant Anthropologist position at the American
Museum where he discovered his true passion for ethnology.
He taught for 35 years at over nine schools in the United States.
Methodological Approach and Field Research
Spier believed strongly in the use of: recording empirical data, studying cultural
distributions, analyzing cultural processes, changes and growth, and recording results of
research for future use.
He conducted field research with many American Indian cultures such as the Zuni,
Havasupai, Kiowa, Wichita, Caddo, Diegueno, Salish, Wishram, Klamath, Maricopa,
Okanagon, Mohave, and Modoc.
His monographs included extensive historical data, provided a historical perspective of
societies, and described diffusion and change within cultural traits.
With the use of comparisons, Spier produced descriptions of these cultures in the
context of its surrounding cultures.
He believed a culture’s foundation of traits were imbedded in time which gave value to
the data that provided better historical understanding.
Notable Works
Sun Dance Monograph 1921
o Spier produced a historical reconstruction of the dance based on the evaluations
of two types of data:
1. The distribution of the sequence of activities of the dance and materials used
in the dance; and
2. The comparison of the organization of the dance and the individuals
accountable for initiating the dance.
o The historical analysis of the Sun Dance is rooted in the data that display
sporadic distributions between tribes.
o Spier believed this type of analysis was crucial in providing the historical
background of traits due to the fact that a researcher could not gain this insight
through characteristics that were uniform through all tribes nor features atypical
to particular tribes.
Ethnographic study of Klamath people 1925-1926
o Created extensive data set which included every aspect of Klamath materials,
rituals, beliefs, and practices
