 maria antonina czaplicka (october 25, 1884 â may 27, 1921), also referred to as marya antonina czaplicka and marie antoinette czaplicka, was a polish cultural anthropologist who is best known for her ethnography of siberian shamanism. czaplicka's research survives in three major works: her studies in aboriginal siberia (1914); a travelogue published as my siberian year (1916); and a set of lectures published as the turks of central asia (1919). curzon press republished all three volumes, plus a fourth volume of articles and letters, in 1999. ==early life and studies== czaplicka was born in the stara praga district of warsaw in 1884,kubica 2007, p. 147. into an impoverished polish nobility family. she started her studies with the so-called flying university (later wyÅ¼sze kursy naukowe), an underground institution of higher education in russian-held poland.kubica 2007, p. 148. she supported herself with a number of poorly paid jobs, as a teacher, secretary, and lady's companion.kubica 2007, p. 149. she also wrote poetry, and a novel for children called olek niedziela.kubica 2007, p. 150. in 1910 she became the first woman to receive a mianowski scholarship, and was therefore able to continue her studies in the united kingdom.collins 1999, introduction. she left poland in 1910kubica 2007, p. 146. and continued her studies at the faculty of anthropology of the london school of economics under charles g. seligman, and at somerville college, oxford under r.r. marett.collins & urry 1997, p. 18. marett encouraged her to use her russian language skills in a review of literature on native tribes in siberia, which became her book aboriginal siberia, published in 1914.znamenski 2007, p. 67. at this stage she had never visited siberia, but the quality of her writing led to aboriginal siberia becoming the major reference work in its field. ==yenisei expedition== marett had intended the work reported in czaplicka's aboriginal siberia to be the basis for fieldwork in siberia. in may 1914, she began such fieldwork, leading a joint expedition of oxford university and university of pennsylvania museum of archaeology and anthropology staff. together with english ornithologist maud doria haviland, american painter dora curtis, and henry usher hall of the museum, she arrived i
1884_births 1921_deaths Alumni_of_Somerville_College,_Oxford Alumni_of_the_London_School_of_Economics British_people_of_Polish_descent Central_Asian_studies Female_suicides Polish_anthropologists Polish_emigrants_to_the_United_Kingdom Suicides_by_poison Women_anthropologists