James Pilling
Encyclopedia
James Constantine Pilling (b. 16 November 1846 in Washington, D.C.
; d. 26 July 1895) was a Congressional stenographer-transcriptionist and a pioneering ethnologist
chiefly known for compiling a series of extensive bibliographies
of the cultures, mythologies and languages of the North and Central American aboriginal peoples
. Beginning in 1875, when he joined the survey of the American West
led by Maj. John Wesley Powell
, and continuing through 1881, Pilling did extensive fieldwork and proofread Powell's Report on the lands of the arid region of the United States (1879).
, at the time chartered by Congress to offer university degrees but today a Jesuit high school
. Having taught himself Pitman shorthand
while still in grade school, he became highly proficient as a stenographer, later working for several government agencies.
hired him to help administer the United States Geological Survey
(USGS) of the Rocky Mountain regions. In 1879, when Powell founded the Bureau of Ethnology (known from 1897 to 1965 as the Bureau of American Ethnology
or BAE), Pilling became the bureau's chief clerk. When Powell took over as director of the USGS and of the BAE from Clarence King
(1881), Pilling became the USGS chief clerk as well, while continuing his work with the BAE. In his unpaid hours over the next 15 years Pilling compiled an extensive bibliography of books and manuscripts on North American languages. He was also responsible for the initial development of the BAE library and for maintaining its archives system. By 1891, a debilitating illness he had contracted during his years of ethnological fieldwork forced him to resign from such administrative duties, but he continued his ethnology
work until his death in 1895.
In 1885, the BAE published his labour of love as the 1,200-page Proof-sheets of a Bibliography of North American Indian Languages; only 100 copies were printed. Scholars of American Indian languages, however, gave the work an enthusiastic reception, and their cooperation enabled Pilling subsequently to revise this monumental work and publish a series of bibliographies, each dealing with a particular family of Amerindian languages. Organizing his data sets in card catalogues and using a cross-reference
system, between 1887 and 1894, Pilling published revised bibliographies of Eskimo–Aleut, Siouan–Catawban, Iroquoian
, Muskogean
, Algonquian
, Athabaskan
, Chinookan
, Salishan
, and Wakashan
language families (Bureau of American Ethnology
Bulletins 1, 5, 6, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 19).
In addition, Pilling had compiled much of the material for a proposed bibliography of Mexican languages, which was not published during his lifetime. Now known as the Uto-Aztecan languages
, their kinship was conclusively established by Edward Sapir
in the 1920s
, but Powell had opposed such a classification scheme. Pilling's Shoshonean languages are now known as Northern Uto-Aztecan, while his Sonoran and Aztec
groupings are now both considered among the Southern Uto-Aztecan languages.
Pilling died of locomotor ataxia
, now called Tabes dorsalis
, a disease associated with untreated syphilis
, in 1895.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
; d. 26 July 1895) was a Congressional stenographer-transcriptionist and a pioneering ethnologist
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
chiefly known for compiling a series of extensive bibliographies
Bibliography
Bibliography , as a practice, is the academic study of books as physical, cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology...
of the cultures, mythologies and languages of the North and Central American aboriginal peoples
Indigenous languages of the Americas
Indigenous languages of the Americas are spoken by indigenous peoples from Alaska and Greenland to the southern tip of South America, encompassing the land masses which constitute the Americas. These indigenous languages consist of dozens of distinct language families as well as many language...
. Beginning in 1875, when he joined the survey of the American West
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
led by Maj. John Wesley Powell
John Wesley Powell
John Wesley Powell was a U.S. soldier, geologist, explorer of the American West, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions...
, and continuing through 1881, Pilling did extensive fieldwork and proofread Powell's Report on the lands of the arid region of the United States (1879).
Education and early work
Pilling attended Gonzaga CollegeGonzaga College High School
Gonzaga College High School is a Jesuit high school for boys located in Washington, D.C. The school is named in honor of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian saint from the 16th century...
, at the time chartered by Congress to offer university degrees but today a Jesuit high school
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
. Having taught himself Pitman shorthand
Pitman Shorthand
Pitman shorthand is a system of shorthand for the English language developed by Englishman Sir Isaac Pitman , who first presented it in 1837. Like most systems of shorthand, it is a phonetic system; the symbols do not represent letters, but rather sounds, and words are, for the most part, written...
while still in grade school, he became highly proficient as a stenographer, later working for several government agencies.
Ethnology career
In 1875, John Wesley PowellJohn Wesley Powell
John Wesley Powell was a U.S. soldier, geologist, explorer of the American West, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions...
hired him to help administer the United States Geological Survey
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
(USGS) of the Rocky Mountain regions. In 1879, when Powell founded the Bureau of Ethnology (known from 1897 to 1965 as the Bureau of American Ethnology
Bureau of American Ethnology
The Bureau of American Ethnology was established in 1879 by an act of Congress for the purpose of transferring archives, records and materials relating to the Indians of North America from the Interior Department to the Smithsonian Institution...
or BAE), Pilling became the bureau's chief clerk. When Powell took over as director of the USGS and of the BAE from Clarence King
Clarence King
Clarence R. King was an American geologist, mountaineer, and art critic. First director of the United States Geological Survey, from 1879 to 1881, King was noted for his exploration of the Sierra Nevada. He was born in Newport, Rhode Island.-Career:...
(1881), Pilling became the USGS chief clerk as well, while continuing his work with the BAE. In his unpaid hours over the next 15 years Pilling compiled an extensive bibliography of books and manuscripts on North American languages. He was also responsible for the initial development of the BAE library and for maintaining its archives system. By 1891, a debilitating illness he had contracted during his years of ethnological fieldwork forced him to resign from such administrative duties, but he continued his ethnology
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
work until his death in 1895.
In 1885, the BAE published his labour of love as the 1,200-page Proof-sheets of a Bibliography of North American Indian Languages; only 100 copies were printed. Scholars of American Indian languages, however, gave the work an enthusiastic reception, and their cooperation enabled Pilling subsequently to revise this monumental work and publish a series of bibliographies, each dealing with a particular family of Amerindian languages. Organizing his data sets in card catalogues and using a cross-reference
Cross-reference
A cross-reference is an instance within a document which refers to related or synonymous information elsewhere, usually within the same work. To cross-reference or to cross-refer is to make such connections. The term "cross-reference" is often abbreviated as x-ref, xref, or, in computer science,...
system, between 1887 and 1894, Pilling published revised bibliographies of Eskimo–Aleut, Siouan–Catawban, Iroquoian
Iroquoian languages
The Iroquoian languages are a First Nation and Native American language family.-Family division:*Ruttenber, Edward Manning. 1992 [1872]. History of the Indian tribes of Hudson's River. Hope Farm Press....
, Muskogean
Muskogean languages
Muskogean is an indigenous language family of the Southeastern United States. Though there is an ongoing debate concerning their interrelationships, the Muskogean languages are generally divided into two branches, Eastern Muskogean and Western Muskogean...
, Algonquian
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...
, Athabaskan
Athabaskan languages
Athabaskan or Athabascan is a large group of indigenous peoples of North America, located in two main Southern and Northern groups in western North America, and of their language family...
, Chinookan
Chinookan languages
Chinookan is a small family of languages spoken in Oregon and Washington along the Columbia River by Chinook peoples.-Family division:Chinookan languages consists of three languages with multiple varieties. There is some dispute over classification, and there are two ISO 639-3 codes assigned: and...
, Salishan
Salishan languages
The Salishan languages are a group of languages of the Pacific Northwest...
, and Wakashan
Wakashan languages
Wakashan is a family of languages spoken in British Columbia around and on Vancouver Island, and in the northwestern corner of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state, on the south side of the Strait of Juan de Fuca....
language families (Bureau of American Ethnology
Bureau of American Ethnology
The Bureau of American Ethnology was established in 1879 by an act of Congress for the purpose of transferring archives, records and materials relating to the Indians of North America from the Interior Department to the Smithsonian Institution...
Bulletins 1, 5, 6, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 19).
In addition, Pilling had compiled much of the material for a proposed bibliography of Mexican languages, which was not published during his lifetime. Now known as the Uto-Aztecan languages
Uto-Aztecan languages
Uto-Aztecan or Uto-Aztekan is a Native American language family consisting of over 30 languages. Uto-Aztecan languages are found from the Great Basin of the Western United States , through western, central and southern Mexico Uto-Aztecan or Uto-Aztekan is a Native American language family...
, their kinship was conclusively established by Edward Sapir
Edward Sapir
Edward Sapir was an American anthropologist-linguist, widely considered to be one of the most important figures in the early development of the discipline of linguistics....
in the 1920s
1920s
File:1920s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Sean Hogan during the Irish Civil War; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, which made alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the entire decade; In...
, but Powell had opposed such a classification scheme. Pilling's Shoshonean languages are now known as Northern Uto-Aztecan, while his Sonoran and Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
groupings are now both considered among the Southern Uto-Aztecan languages.
Pilling died of locomotor ataxia
Locomotor ataxia
Locomotor ataxia is the inability to precisely control one's own bodily movements. Persons afflicted with this disease may walk in a jerky, nonfluid manner. They will not know where their arms and legs are without looking, but can, for instance, feel and locate a hot object placed against their feet...
, now called Tabes dorsalis
Tabes dorsalis
Tabes dorsalis is a slow degeneration of the sensory neurons that carry afferent information. The degenerating nerves are in the dorsal columns of the spinal cord and carry information that help maintain a person's sense of position , vibration, and discriminative touch.-Cause:Tabes dorsalis is...
, a disease associated with untreated syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
, in 1895.