1916

Ishi’s death and treatment of Indigenous bodies as specimens

California; Yahi people

The book discusses Ishi’s life under anthropological scrutiny and the conflict between scientific institutions and respectful treatment of Native remains. Such practices later became a central repatriation issue.

Dates preserve the source’s precision. This entry is part of a selected historical record; its qualifications and sources are retained below.

Context / qualification

Do not repeat “last Indian” as fact; distinguish contemporary labels from Indigenous survival.

Sources

• Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States (2014), chapter 8
• Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States (2014), conclusion

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