Alfred Louis Kroeber
Kroeber took a keen interest in Ishi, the sole survivor of the little-known Yana tribe, and arranged for him to come to San Francisco. Naming him Ishi, meaning “man,” Kroeber regarded him as the last unassimilated Native American. Through their interactions, he gained valuable insights into the culture of Ishi’s vanished people. Ishi contracted tuberculosis and died in 1916. Although Kroeber, aware of his customs, wished for his body to be cremated, he was away at the time of Ishi’s death. His letter conveying these wishes arrived too late, and an autopsy was performed in which Ishi’s brain was removed for study. Kroeber was deeply saddened that Ishi was denied his traditional final rites. While Ishi’s time in San Francisco allowed for care and cultural documentation, Kroeber, knowing Ishi’s traditions, might have foreseen the situation and taken firmer steps to ensure his funerary customs were respected.
Sukeerthy Voola 