Esther Schiff Goldfrank
Encyclopedia
Esther Schiff Goldfrank, 1896–1997, was an anthropologist
of the famous German-American Schiff family. She had studied with Franz Boas
and specialized in the Pueblo Indians. She worked closely with Elsie Clews Parsons
and also with Ruth Benedict
on the Blackfoot
. She published on Pueblo religion, Cochiti
sociology and Isleta drawings.
Esther Schiff Goldfrank married the historian and sinologist Karl August Wittfogel
after the death in 1935 of her first husband, Walter Goldfrank.
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...
of the famous German-American Schiff family. She had studied with 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...
and specialized in the Pueblo Indians. She worked closely with Elsie Clews Parsons
Elsie Clews Parsons
Elsie Worthington Clews Parsons was an American anthropologist, sociologist, folklorist, and feminist who studied Native American tribes—such as the Tewa and Hopi—in Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico. She helped found The New School...
and also with Ruth Benedict
Ruth Benedict
Ruth Benedict was an American anthropologist, cultural relativist, and folklorist....
on the Blackfoot
Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta and one Native American tribe in Montana....
. She published on Pueblo religion, Cochiti
Cochiti, New Mexico
Cochiti is a census-designated place in Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 528 at the 2010 census....
sociology and Isleta drawings.
Esther Schiff Goldfrank married the historian and sinologist Karl August Wittfogel
Karl August Wittfogel
Karl August Wittfogel was a German-American playwright, historian, and sinologist. Originally a Marxist and an active member of the Communist Party of Germany, after the Second World War Wittfogel was an equally fierce anticommunist.-Biography:...
after the death in 1935 of her first husband, Walter Goldfrank.
Selected Works
- Changing Configurations in the Social Organization of a Blackfoot Tribe During the Reserve Period (The Blood of Alberta, Canada), J.J. Augustin Publisher, 1945.
- Isleta Paintings, Smithsonian Institution, 1962.
- The artist of "Isleta paintings" in Pueblo society (Smithsonian contributions to anthropology), Smithsonian Institution, 1967.
- The social and ceremonial organization of Cochiti (Memoirs of the American Anthropological Association), Kraus, 1974.
- Notes on an undirected life: As one anthropologist tells it (Queens College publications in Anthropology, no. 3, 1978.