Anthropology .17.17
Leslie Spier
Introduction
When considering the impact that the more well-known scholars have had on
anthropology, it’s apparent that different scholars have made tremendous contributions in the
numerous sub-disciplines within the field. The more prominent names that come to mind of
course would be, Margaret Mead, Franz Boas, Bronislaw Malinowski, Jane Goodall, and the
Leakeys, and to be sure, all of these scientists influenced the field in unique ways. However, one
could make the argument that Leslie Spier, although probably not on most people’s “top-10” list
of anthropologists, nonetheless, made significant and historical contributions to the science. His
most noteworthy endowments, being his outstanding ethnographic field work in over a dozen
Native American societies, as well as his exhaustive method of data recording.
At a time when anthropologists in the United States were discovering distinct
methodologies in conducting research, Leslie Spier entered the field. Born in New York City in
1893, Spier was a child of an urban environment. He received his Bachelor’s degree in
engineering from City College in New York City. However, his life of scientific study, took a
dramatic turn when he began at Columbia University to study Anthropology under Franz Boas,
receiving his Doctorate degree in 1920. Throughout his years as a student, Spier took advantage
of tremendous opportunities afforded to him, that would ultimately lead to his deep passion for
anthropology and especially ethnographic field work. In 1913, he was appointed Assistant
Anthropologist to the New Jersey Archaeological and Geological Survey, participating in ample
research that lead to various publications on eastern Archaeology, the most notable of these
being the Trenton Argillite Culture. He then served as Assistant Anthropologist at the American
, Museum of Natural history between 1916 and 1920, which was significant as it resulted in his
eventual passion for ethnographic research. During the course of his career, in addition to his
many years of fieldwork and research, he would also teach at several universities in the U.S. for
a total of 35 years (Basehart and Hill 1965). He had a profound effect on his students, and
changed many lives. One such student, future-anthropologist Robert Spencer (1987), would
come to say that Spier even went so far as to provide his students with a sense of enlightenment
in the midst of their anthropological studies; something that very few teachers apparently had the
ability to do.
Early Twentieth Century Anthropology
As stated earlier, the field of Anthropology was going through major changes in the
United States during the early twentieth century, especially compared to the way it was evolving
in all of Europe. The “Father of American Anthropology,” Franz Boas, was leading the U.S. in
developing a new understanding of the science, most notably by redefining it as a holistic, four-
field area of study, consisting of archaeology, anthropological linguistics, physical anthropology,
and socio-cultural anthropology. This would be a crucial shift in the field, as the smaller
subfields became more recognized as valid sciences. Boas felt that the way anthropology was
being studied throughout Europe, was in fact, wholly inadequate in that it neglected to focus on
critical areas of research and data collection (Erickson and Murphy 2017).
As a result of Boas’ tremendous insights regarding how best to study anthropological
data, Spier likewise began developing methodologies that would guide his ethnographic
research. Thus, the strategy of using empirical methods to more thoroughly define cultures and
their traditions became the hallmark of Spier’s lifelong work. He was wholeheartedly dedicated
to the idea that one could only truly understand indigenous cultures by experiencing them
Leslie Spier
Introduction
When considering the impact that the more well-known scholars have had on
anthropology, it’s apparent that different scholars have made tremendous contributions in the
numerous sub-disciplines within the field. The more prominent names that come to mind of
course would be, Margaret Mead, Franz Boas, Bronislaw Malinowski, Jane Goodall, and the
Leakeys, and to be sure, all of these scientists influenced the field in unique ways. However, one
could make the argument that Leslie Spier, although probably not on most people’s “top-10” list
of anthropologists, nonetheless, made significant and historical contributions to the science. His
most noteworthy endowments, being his outstanding ethnographic field work in over a dozen
Native American societies, as well as his exhaustive method of data recording.
At a time when anthropologists in the United States were discovering distinct
methodologies in conducting research, Leslie Spier entered the field. Born in New York City in
1893, Spier was a child of an urban environment. He received his Bachelor’s degree in
engineering from City College in New York City. However, his life of scientific study, took a
dramatic turn when he began at Columbia University to study Anthropology under Franz Boas,
receiving his Doctorate degree in 1920. Throughout his years as a student, Spier took advantage
of tremendous opportunities afforded to him, that would ultimately lead to his deep passion for
anthropology and especially ethnographic field work. In 1913, he was appointed Assistant
Anthropologist to the New Jersey Archaeological and Geological Survey, participating in ample
research that lead to various publications on eastern Archaeology, the most notable of these
being the Trenton Argillite Culture. He then served as Assistant Anthropologist at the American
, Museum of Natural history between 1916 and 1920, which was significant as it resulted in his
eventual passion for ethnographic research. During the course of his career, in addition to his
many years of fieldwork and research, he would also teach at several universities in the U.S. for
a total of 35 years (Basehart and Hill 1965). He had a profound effect on his students, and
changed many lives. One such student, future-anthropologist Robert Spencer (1987), would
come to say that Spier even went so far as to provide his students with a sense of enlightenment
in the midst of their anthropological studies; something that very few teachers apparently had the
ability to do.
Early Twentieth Century Anthropology
As stated earlier, the field of Anthropology was going through major changes in the
United States during the early twentieth century, especially compared to the way it was evolving
in all of Europe. The “Father of American Anthropology,” Franz Boas, was leading the U.S. in
developing a new understanding of the science, most notably by redefining it as a holistic, four-
field area of study, consisting of archaeology, anthropological linguistics, physical anthropology,
and socio-cultural anthropology. This would be a crucial shift in the field, as the smaller
subfields became more recognized as valid sciences. Boas felt that the way anthropology was
being studied throughout Europe, was in fact, wholly inadequate in that it neglected to focus on
critical areas of research and data collection (Erickson and Murphy 2017).
As a result of Boas’ tremendous insights regarding how best to study anthropological
data, Spier likewise began developing methodologies that would guide his ethnographic
research. Thus, the strategy of using empirical methods to more thoroughly define cultures and
their traditions became the hallmark of Spier’s lifelong work. He was wholeheartedly dedicated
to the idea that one could only truly understand indigenous cultures by experiencing them
