David H. French
Encyclopedia
David Heath French was an American
anthropologist
and linguist
from Bend, Oregon
. During his lifetime he was considered the foremost academic authority on the Chinookan
people of the middle Columbia River, especially the Wasco-Wishram
Chinooks of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation
in Oregon. His research focused on ethnobotany
and language.
in Portland, Oregon, for three years (1935-1939), studying under Morris Opler. When Opler moved to Pomona College
and the Claremont Graduate School, French transferred there to continue studying with him and completed his B.A. there in 1939. (He was later made an honorary alumnus of Reed.) He earned an M.A. at Claremont as well, in 1940. Around this time he did archaeological work in Oregon under Luther S. Cressman.
French's Ph.D. work at Columbia University
involved studying under Ralph Linton
and Ruth Benedict
(he was Benedict's research assistant). He was heavily influenced by the milieu surrounding Franz Boas
, who died while French was at Columbia. Later in life French always considered himself a "Boasian," an approach characterized by meticulous and thorough anthropological research in the "recovery ethnography" mode, as well as a preference for conducting linguistic and ethnographic research in tandem. He did dissertation fieldwork at Isleta Pueblo
in the Southwest (1941-1942). His dissertation on factionalism at Isleta Pueblo was defended in 1943, but he did not receive his Ph.D. until 1949.
(1922-2006), whom he had met at Pomona and who was also pursuing a Ph.D. at Columbia.
From 1943 to 1946, the Frenches served as relocation advisers and community analysts with the War Relocation Authority
, monitoring conditions at relocation centers for Japanese-Americans, as part of a program to mitigate abuses.
He also held visiting positions at Columbia University (1954-1955), the University of Washington
(1959), and Harvard University
(1960-1961).
In 1949, David and Kathrine French began a decades-long research involvement with the Warm Springs people. Their many contributions to Warm Springs ethnography included an exhaustive ethnobotanical inventory, numerous published articles on topics such as oral narrative and the relationship between language and culture, and a still unpublished dictionary of Wasco-Wishram (Kiksht). In the mid 1960s French facilitated the inaugural fieldwork, on Chinookan, of a young Michael Silverstein
, who was later to become a leading linguist and semiotician.
The Frenches' ethnobotanical research also included fieldwork among peasants of France's Massif Central
in the 1960s, accompanied by Claude Lévi-Strauss
.
.
But his most significant publications remain a long 1961 article on culture change at Warm Springs (a monograph-length ethnographic sketch, in many ways) and several definitive articles co-authored for the Smithsonian Institution
's Handbook of North American Indians
, namely contributions on Plateau subsistence, naming practices, and the Wasco-Wishram-Cascades peoples. At one point he was the Reed faculty member with the most numerous publications to his credit.
Many of French's students pursued careers in anthropology or allied fields. The most prominent of these were probably Dell Hymes
(anthropologist and linguist, whose research also focuses on Chinookans) and Hymes's friend the Beat Generation
poet Gary Snyder
. Snyder's Reed B.A. thesis (1951) was later published as a book, He Who Hunted Birds in His Father's Village: The Dimensions of a Haida Myth (1979), and it is largely thanks to French that American Indian themes and concerns with folklore and language use have enriched nearly all of Snyder's work. Snyder dedicated his book Myths and Texts to French. Other students of French's included Gail M. Kelly
, May Ebihara, Katherine Verdery, Robert A. Brightman
, and Robert E. Moore.
In 1988 French received the American Anthropological Association
's prestigious Distinguished Service Award, his discipline's highest honor.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
anthropologist
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and linguist
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
from Bend, Oregon
Bend, Oregon
Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States, and the principal city of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, and, despite its modest size, is the de facto metropolis of the region, owing to the low population...
. During his lifetime he was considered the foremost academic authority on the Chinookan
Chinookan
Chinook refers to several native amercain groups of in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, speaking the Chinookan languages. In the early 19th century, the Chinookan-speaking peoples lived along the lower and middle Columbia River in present-day Oregon and Washington...
people of the middle Columbia River, especially the Wasco-Wishram
Wasco-Wishram
Wasco-Wishram are two closely related Chinook Indian tribes from the Columbia River in Oregon. Today the tribes are part of the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon and Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation in Washington.-History:...
Chinooks of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation
Warm Springs Indian Reservation
The Warm Springs Indian Reservation consists of 1,019.385 sq mi in north central Oregon, in the United States, and is occupied and governed by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.-Tribes:...
in Oregon. His research focused on ethnobotany
Ethnobotany
Ethnobotany is the scientific study of the relationships that exist between people and plants....
and language.
Education
French attended Reed CollegeReed College
Reed College is a private, independent, liberal arts college located in southeast Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus located in Portland's Eastmoreland neighborhood, featuring architecture based on the Tudor-Gothic style, and a forested canyon wilderness...
in Portland, Oregon, for three years (1935-1939), studying under Morris Opler. When Opler moved to Pomona College
Pomona College
Pomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...
and the Claremont Graduate School, French transferred there to continue studying with him and completed his B.A. there in 1939. (He was later made an honorary alumnus of Reed.) He earned an M.A. at Claremont as well, in 1940. Around this time he did archaeological work in Oregon under Luther S. Cressman.
French's Ph.D. work at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
involved studying under Ralph Linton
Ralph Linton
Ralph Linton was a respected American anthropologist of the mid-twentieth century, particularly remembered for his texts The Study of Man and The Tree of Culture...
and Ruth Benedict
Ruth Benedict
Ruth Benedict was an American anthropologist, cultural relativist, and folklorist....
(he was Benedict's research assistant). He was heavily influenced by the milieu surrounding Franz Boas
Franz Boas
Franz Boas was a German-American anthropologist and a pioneer of modern anthropology who has been called the "Father of American Anthropology" and "the Father of Modern Anthropology." Like many such pioneers, he trained in other disciplines; he received his doctorate in physics, and did...
, who died while French was at Columbia. Later in life French always considered himself a "Boasian," an approach characterized by meticulous and thorough anthropological research in the "recovery ethnography" mode, as well as a preference for conducting linguistic and ethnographic research in tandem. He did dissertation fieldwork at Isleta Pueblo
Isleta Pueblo
Isleta Pueblo is an unincorporated Tanoan pueblo in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States, originally established around the 14th century.-Overview:...
in the Southwest (1941-1942). His dissertation on factionalism at Isleta Pueblo was defended in 1943, but he did not receive his Ph.D. until 1949.
Family and career
In 1943 French married Kathrine StoryKathrine S. French
Kathrine Story French was an American anthropologist born in Illinois. Educated in California, she studied ceremonialism and naming practices on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in the state of Oregon. She was married to fellow anthropologist David H. French.-Early years:Kathrine McCullough...
(1922-2006), whom he had met at Pomona and who was also pursuing a Ph.D. at Columbia.
From 1943 to 1946, the Frenches served as relocation advisers and community analysts with the War Relocation Authority
War Relocation Authority
The War Relocation Authority was a United States government agency established to handle internment of Japanese-, German-, and Italian-Americans during World War II...
, monitoring conditions at relocation centers for Japanese-Americans, as part of a program to mitigate abuses.
Teaching
French taught at Reed from 1947 until his retirement in 1988 and he presided over the establishment of Anthropology as a separate department there. Given that French's father, Delbert R. French, was a member of Reed's first graduating class (1915) (French co-founded the informal children-of-alumni group, Offspring of Reed Graduates of yesteryear, or ORGY) and that French remained involved with the Reed community (living across the street from campus) until his death, he may indeed have had a longer association with Reed College than anyone else before or since.He also held visiting positions at Columbia University (1954-1955), the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
(1959), and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(1960-1961).
In 1949, David and Kathrine French began a decades-long research involvement with the Warm Springs people. Their many contributions to Warm Springs ethnography included an exhaustive ethnobotanical inventory, numerous published articles on topics such as oral narrative and the relationship between language and culture, and a still unpublished dictionary of Wasco-Wishram (Kiksht). In the mid 1960s French facilitated the inaugural fieldwork, on Chinookan, of a young Michael Silverstein
Michael Silverstein
Michael Silverstein is a professor of anthropology, linguistics, and psychology at the University of Chicago. He is a theoretician of semiotics and linguistic anthropology. Over the course of his career he has drawn together research on linguistic pragmatics, sociolinguistics, language ideology,...
, who was later to become a leading linguist and semiotician.
The Frenches' ethnobotanical research also included fieldwork among peasants of France's Massif Central
Massif Central
The Massif Central is an elevated region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaux....
in the 1960s, accompanied by Claude Lévi-Strauss
Claude Lévi-Strauss
Claude Lévi-Strauss was a French anthropologist and ethnologist, and has been called, along with James George Frazer, the "father of modern anthropology"....
.
Research
Among French's unique contributions were the inclusion in ethnobotanical surveys of which plants were not named, and, in a 1955 article, "The Concept of Culture-Bondage," an exploration of the relationship between culture and individuality which, in true Reed form, anticipated many of the concerns and ideals of the countercultureCounterculture
Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
.
But his most significant publications remain a long 1961 article on culture change at Warm Springs (a monograph-length ethnographic sketch, in many ways) and several definitive articles co-authored for the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
's Handbook of North American Indians
Handbook of North American Indians
The Handbook of North American Indians is a monographic series of edited scholarly and reference volumes in Americanist studies, published by the Smithsonian Institution beginning in 1978. To date, fifteen volumes have been published...
, namely contributions on Plateau subsistence, naming practices, and the Wasco-Wishram-Cascades peoples. At one point he was the Reed faculty member with the most numerous publications to his credit.
Many of French's students pursued careers in anthropology or allied fields. The most prominent of these were probably Dell Hymes
Dell Hymes
Dell Hathaway Hymes was a sociolinguist, anthropologist, and folklorist whose work dealt primarily with languages of the Pacific Northwest. He was one of the first to call the fourth subfield of anthropology "linguistic anthropology" instead of "anthropological linguistics"...
(anthropologist and linguist, whose research also focuses on Chinookans) and Hymes's friend the Beat Generation
Beat generation
The Beat Generation refers to a group of American post-WWII writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired...
poet Gary Snyder
Gary Snyder
Gary Snyder is an American poet , as well as an essayist, lecturer, and environmental activist . Snyder is a winner of a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry...
. Snyder's Reed B.A. thesis (1951) was later published as a book, He Who Hunted Birds in His Father's Village: The Dimensions of a Haida Myth (1979), and it is largely thanks to French that American Indian themes and concerns with folklore and language use have enriched nearly all of Snyder's work. Snyder dedicated his book Myths and Texts to French. Other students of French's included Gail M. Kelly
Gail M. Kelly
Gail M. Kelly was an American anthropologist known for training generations of anthropologists at Reed College in Portland, Oregon....
, May Ebihara, Katherine Verdery, Robert A. Brightman
Robert A. Brightman
Robert A. Brightman is an American anthropologist known for his work among the Cree Indians in Manitoba, Canada.He received his undergraduate education at Reed College, graduating in 1973. He earned his MA and Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Chicago in 1983. There he studied under...
, and Robert E. Moore.
In 1988 French received the American Anthropological Association
American Anthropological Association
The American Anthropological Association is a professional organization of scholars and practitioners in the field of anthropology. With 11,000 members, the Arlington, Virginia based association includes archaeologists, cultural anthropologists, biological anthropologists, linguistic...
's prestigious Distinguished Service Award, his discipline's highest honor.
Selected works
- (1955) "The Concept of Culture-Bondage." New York Academy of Sciences, Transactions, Series II, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 339-345.
- (1958) "Cultural Matrices of Chinookan Non-Casual Language." International Journal of American Linguistics, vol. 24, pp. 258-263.
- (1961) "Wasco-Wishram." In: Perspectives in American Indian Culture Change, edited by Edward H. Spicer, pp. 337-430. University of Chicago Press.
- (with Kathrine S. French) (1996) "Personal Names." In: Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 17: Languages, ed, by Ives Goddard, pp. 200-221. Washington: Smithsonian Institution.
- (1999) "Aboriginal Control of Huckleberry Yield in the Northwest." In Indians, Fire, and the Land in the Pacific Northwest, ed. by Robert Boyd, pp. 31-35. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press.