Travels and Researches in Native North America, 1882-1883

Book excerpt: This important but little-known account of several southwestern tribes has heretofore been available only in the author's native Dutch. Ten Kate's studies of the Pima, Hopi, Apache, and Zuni people are especially noteworthy for their information on tribal cultures. He observed firsthand and sought out informants willing to elaborate on Indian games and sports and on social organization and myths of religious significance. He was particularly interested in the position of women and treatment of children and admired the natives' attitudes on these matters more than did other early anthropologists. His best material is from his extended stay at Zuni, where he and Frank Hamilton Cushing became lifelong friends. His observations on the impact of whites on Indian cultures constitute valuable documentation of the dilution of native life-styles. Although he is not as well known as contemporaries like Bandelier, Bourke, and Matthews, ten Kate's work remains influential in the field after more than 120 years.