Pomo Bear Doctors

Barrett, S. A. (Samuel Alfred), 1879-1965Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 69K words
Chapters: 7

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Pomo Bear Doctors by S. A. BarrettAuthor: Barrett, S. A. (Samuel Alfred), 1879-1965,Language: English, Class: E011: History: America: America, Release Date: Jun 18, 2013

Editor's review

This is an ethnographic account by the anthropologist S. A. Barrett of the Pomo bear doctor, a specialized study within Native North American research. The book focuses on the bear doctor as a particular role, recording the origins of the role, the associated ritual beliefs, and modes of behavior, and shaping oral tradition and field observation into a readable text. Its value lies in preserving relatively specific knowledge of a people, allowing readers to approach a strange yet self-contained world of belief and healing practice. The writing is mainly descriptive and documentary, strongly academic and restrained; it does not aim for story, and precisely for that reason the texture of the material stands out. It suits readers in anthropology, ethnology, and the history of religion and healing culture, as well as enthusiasts interested in California Native cultures. Read it as primary ethnographic material, taking care to distinguish the recorder's statements from the people's own conceptions and avoiding easy judgment by modern medical frameworks.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Anthropology and ethnology students and researchers who need specialized ethnographic material
Readers interested in Native North American beliefs and ritual practice
Those studying the history of religion and healing culture and the role of traditional healers
Readers who enjoy field records and are willing to enter an unfamiliar cultural context patiently

Not a good fit for

General leisure readers expecting popular storytelling or narrative plots
Readers seeking a systematic, comprehensive overview of Pomo culture
Readers impatient with academic description and the ethnographic genre

Reading tips

Learn the basic background of the Pomo and California Native peoples before starting the main text; this reduces obstacles to understanding.
While reading, distinguish the recorder's observations from the people's own accounts, and note the source and tone of statements as you go.
Read alongside other ethnographies of the same region to see where the bear doctor's role sits within a larger cultural context.
After finishing, make a short glossary of terms, gathering ritual names and role titles in one place for later reference.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a comprehensive overview of Pomo culture?

No. It is an ethnographic record devoted to the specific topic of the bear doctor, focusing on a particular role and related practices rather than offering a full survey of Pomo culture. For an overall picture, read it together with general works or regional studies.

Can readers without an anthropology background understand this book?

Yes, but it takes some patience. The book is mainly descriptive record, and its terminology and background knowledge pose a threshold for beginners. It is advisable to first acquire basic knowledge of California Native peoples and ethnographic method, and while reading to look up unfamiliar titles and ritual names one by one; understanding will then flow much more smoothly.

What attitude should readers take toward the beliefs and healing practices in the book?

It is best to understand them as a system of ideas within a particular cultural context rather than judging them right or wrong by modern medical standards. Note the recorder's own observational perspective and period limitations, and view the people's own accounts separately from the researcher's statements; this brings out the material's research value more fully.

Is this book suitable for citation in teaching or research?

It is suitable as specialized ethnographic material, especially for discussing the role of Native healers, ritual practice, and field-recording methods. When citing it, note the edition information and the recorder's background, and compare it with later research, avoiding treating a single record as a comprehensive conclusion.

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About the author

Barrett, S. A. (Samuel Alfred), 1879-1965 Author · American · 1879–1965

Samuel Alfred Barrett (S. A. Barrett, 1879–1965) was an American anthropologist and archaeologist who devoted himself to the study of Native North American cultures and served as curator of the Milwaukee Museum. Two of his works are held in this collection, both centered on the Pomo people of California: one documents the ceremonial activities of the Pomo Indians, while the other examines the role and related customs of the so-called "bear doctors" among the Pomo. His writing tends toward close field observation and detailed ethnographic recording, focusing on ritual procedures, beliefs, and internal social roles rather than broad cultural generalization. Because public information is limited, his full biography, education, and academic lineage cannot be described in detail; nevertheless, these two works offer concrete primary material on Pomo religious life and folk-medical tradition and remain a reference for researchers in related fields.