William Duncan Strong
Encyclopedia
William Duncan Strong was an American archaeologist and anthropologist noted for his application of the direct historical approach
to the study of indigenous peoples of North and South America.
Strong was born in Portland, Oregon
and initially studied zoology, but changed his focus to anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, under the influence of Alfred L. Kroeber
, who became his "principal teacher, mentor, and friend". Strong completed his doctorate in 1926 with a dissertation on "An Analysis of Southwestern Society". A related study of "Aboriginal Society in Southern California", presenting his detailed fieldwork among the Serrano
, Luiseño, Cupeño, and Cahuilla
peoples, has been characterized as "one of the earliest and one of the best efforts by a United States anthropologist to combine structural-functional analysis with historical data and interpretation". Strong also did ethnographic field research among the Naskapi
of Labrador
.
Most of Strong's anthropological contributions were specifically in archaeology. His 1935 study, "An Introduction to Nebraska Archaeology", is credited with providing a major impetus for the direct historical approach in archaeology. In the 1930s, Strong, Waldo Rudolph Wedel
and A. T. Hill
found archaeological evidence in Nebraska were different from the prehistoric Central Plains
and Woodland
traditions. The evidence was attributed to a new culture called the Dismal River culture
, or Dismal River aspect, for its location on the Dismal River basin
of Nebraska, dated between 1650-1750 A.D.
He did pioneering fieldwork in California's San Joaquin Valley
, the Pacific Northwest
, the American Great Plains
, Labrador, and Honduras
. In Peru
, he developed statistical methods to seriate
pottery
styles and is credited with the discovery of the tomb of the war god Ai apaec in 1946.
Strong held academic positions at the University of Nebraska and Columbia University
. Among his notable students were the archaeologists Waldo Wedel
and Gordon Willey
.
Direct historical approach
The direct historical approach was an archaeological and anthropological technique developed and promoted by such American scholars as William Duncan Strong, Waldo Wedel, and others during the 1920s and 1930s....
to the study of indigenous peoples of North and South America.
Strong was born in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and initially studied zoology, but changed his focus to anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, under the influence of Alfred L. Kroeber
Alfred L. Kroeber
Alfred Louis Kroeber was an American anthropologist. He was the first professor appointed to the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, and played an integral role in the early days of its Museum of Anthropology, where he served as director from 1909 through...
, who became his "principal teacher, mentor, and friend". Strong completed his doctorate in 1926 with a dissertation on "An Analysis of Southwestern Society". A related study of "Aboriginal Society in Southern California", presenting his detailed fieldwork among the Serrano
Serrano (people)
The Serrano are a Native American tribe of present day California, United States. They use the autonyms of Taaqtam, meaning "people"; Maarenga'yam, "people from Morongo"; and Yuhaviatam, "people of the pines." The Serrano historically populated the San Bernardino Mountains and extended east into...
, Luiseño, Cupeño, and Cahuilla
Cahuilla
The Cahuilla, Iviatim in their own language, are Indians with a common culture whose ancestors inhabited inland areas of southern California 2,000 years ago. Their original territory included an area of about . The traditional Cahuilla territory was near the geographic center of Southern California...
peoples, has been characterized as "one of the earliest and one of the best efforts by a United States anthropologist to combine structural-functional analysis with historical data and interpretation". Strong also did ethnographic field research among the Naskapi
Naskapi
The Naskapi are the indigenous Innu inhabitants of an area they refer to as Nitassinan, which comprises most of what other Canadians refer to as eastern Quebec and Labrador, Canada....
of Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
.
Most of Strong's anthropological contributions were specifically in archaeology. His 1935 study, "An Introduction to Nebraska Archaeology", is credited with providing a major impetus for the direct historical approach in archaeology. In the 1930s, Strong, Waldo Rudolph Wedel
Waldo Rudolph Wedel
Waldo Rudolph Wedel was an American archaeologist and a central figure in the study of the prehistory of the Great Plains. He was born in Newton, Kansas to a family of Mennonites. In 1939 he married Mildred Mott, a fellow archaeologist and ethnohistorian...
and A. T. Hill
A. T. Hill
Asa Thomas Hill , generally known as A. T. Hill, was an American businessman and archaeologist. His work on sites in and around Nebraska, with such collaborators as William Duncan Strong and Waldo Wedel, was instrumental in the development of Great Plains archaeology.-Early life and career:Hill...
found archaeological evidence in Nebraska were different from the prehistoric Central Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
and Woodland
Woodland period
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures was from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE in the eastern part of North America. The term "Woodland Period" was introduced in the 1930s as a generic header for prehistoric sites falling between the Archaic hunter-gatherers and the...
traditions. The evidence was attributed to a new culture called the Dismal River culture
Dismal River culture
The Dismal River culture refers to a set of cultural attributes first seen in the Dismal River area of Nebraska in the 1930s by archaeologists William Duncan Strong, Waldo Rudolph Wedel and A. T. Hill...
, or Dismal River aspect, for its location on the Dismal River basin
Dismal River (Nebraska)
The Dismal River is a winding river in the state of Nebraska. It is formed by the confluence of two forks, one of which has its origins in Grant County and the other in Hooker County. The forks meet near Nebraska Highway 97 between Mullen and Tryon. From here the Dismal River flows...
of Nebraska, dated between 1650-1750 A.D.
He did pioneering fieldwork in California's San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
, the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
, the American Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
, Labrador, and Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
. In Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, he developed statistical methods to seriate
Seriation (archaeology)
In archaeology, seriation is a relative dating method in which assemblages or artifacts from numerous sites, in the same culture, are placed in chronological order. Where absolute dating methods, such as carbon dating, cannot be applied, archaeologists have to use relative dating methods to date...
pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
styles and is credited with the discovery of the tomb of the war god Ai apaec in 1946.
Strong held academic positions at the University of Nebraska and 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...
. Among his notable students were the archaeologists Waldo Wedel
Waldo Rudolph Wedel
Waldo Rudolph Wedel was an American archaeologist and a central figure in the study of the prehistory of the Great Plains. He was born in Newton, Kansas to a family of Mennonites. In 1939 he married Mildred Mott, a fellow archaeologist and ethnohistorian...
and Gordon Willey
Gordon Willey
Gordon Randolph Willey was an American archaeologist famous for his fieldwork in South and Central America as well as the southeastern United States...
.
External links
- Register to the Papers of William Duncan Strong, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution